Israel in Egypt
Israel in Egypt (HWV 54) is an oratorio in three parts by Georg Friedrich Händel.
Formation
Contrary to his usual practice, Handel wrote the oratorio not in one go from beginning to end. Rather, it began with the last part, which he named song of Moses and he wrote between 1 and 11 October 1738. From his autograph is not clear that he planned this act as part of a larger oratorio; on the other hand it is too short, as a work.
Next, Handel composed between the 15th and 20th of October the second, Exodus overwritten, nude and instrumented him until October 28. With the instrumentation he was finally finished on November 1. The music for the first part, Lamentation of the Israelites for the death of Joseph, he took over from the Funeral Anthem, the funeral music for Queen Caroline, he had written two years earlier. Only a few characters had to be changed. Already the pressure of the score of the first part but was again omitted, so that the Oratory finally a two -part work without overture ( Exodus and Moses Song). In this form it is listed in most cases today.
The premiere took place on April 4, 1739 at the King 's Theatre in London's Haymarket instead. Probably among others, the Organ Concerto in F major The Cuckoo and the Nightingale was played between the acts, which Handel had completed shortly before.
The following soloists were used at the first performance:
- Elisabeth Duparc, called " La France Sina" (soprano )
- William Savage ( Altus )
- John Beard (tenor )
- Thomas Reinhold ( bass)
- Gustavus Waltz ( bass)
Reception
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy carried out the work as a great admirer of Handel and the "old music " at the Lower Rhine Music Festival on May 26, 1833 in Dusseldorf, 1836 in Leipzig and 1844 in Berlin back to the performance. The score of the work he had discovered to his great joy in London. In 19th century England the Oratory was very popular. For the large commercial festivals that took place in the second half of the 19th century in the Crystal Palace in London, Handel was usually performed " Messiah " at first and "Israel in Egypt " on the last day. The choir was busy during these events with up to 4,000 singers. Also in 1888, on June 29, was listed at the end of the Handel Festival at the Crystal Palace " Israel in Egypt ". This took Edison's agent in London, Colonel George E. Gouraud, on some excerpts with Edison's new improved wax cylinder phonograph. Of which still exist today three recorded wax cylinders, where it is the earliest surviving music recording in the UK at all.
Libretto
The text of the oratorio composed exclusively of quotations from the Bible. As a librettist Charles Jennens is suspected of going later in the libretto of Messiah in a similar manner.
Part One
- Lam 1,4.11 KJV; 2:10 KJV
- 2 Sam 1:19 KJV; Lam 1,1 KJV
- Job 29:14 KJV
- Job 29:11 KJV
- 2 Sam 1:19 KJV; Lam 1,1 KJV
- 2 Sam 1:19 KJV; Lam 1,1 KJV
- Job 29:12 KJV; Sir 36:23 KJV; Phil 4:8 KJV
- 2 Sam 1:19 KJV; Lam 1,1 KJV
- Sir 44,14 KJV
- Sir 44,15 KJV; Wis 5:15 KJV
- Wis 5:16 KJV
Part Two
- Ex 1,8.11.13 KJV
- Ex 2:23 KJV; 1,11.13 KJV
- Ex 10,21.22 KJV
- Exodus 14:31 KJV
Part Three
- Ex 15:1-21 KJV