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The Tenor Roles in the Oratorios of George Frederick Handel Based on the Old Testament and Jewish History

George Frederick Handel is one of the most important composers of oratorio in musical history. Between the year 1704, when he composed his Passion According to Saint John, and 1757, the year of his last oratorio, The Triumph of Time and Truth, Handel composed twenty nine works which have at one time or another been classified as oratorios. Only those works that are considered by all authorities as oratorios and are based on the Old Testament or Jewish history are included in this study. Handel writes solo roles for the tenor voice in all of the sixteen oratorios included in the study with the exception of the revision of Esther and in Deborah. The musical and dramatic function of the tenor solo roles varies with each oratorio. The significance of the tenor roles fluctuates with the dramatic impact of the story related by the oratorio and is completely dictated by it. Handel used all solo voices with concern for the best over all theatrical effect foremost in mind. To place in proper perspective his use of the tenor voice in relation to the other solo voices, such factors as the musical and dramatic importance of the tenor roles, character types portrayed, and the style and ranges of arias, should be considered.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:unt.edu/info:ark/67531/metadc663590
Date01 1900
CreatorsFrederick, Jeffrey D. (Jeffrey Dickson)
ContributorsBaird, Edward A., Farish, Stephen
PublisherNorth Texas State University
Source SetsUniversity of North Texas
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis or Dissertation
Formativ, 110 leaves: music, Text
RightsPublic, Frederick, Jeffrey D. (Jeffrey Dickson), Copyright, Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise noted. All rights

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