Malachi 3:3
3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.
This chorus is an excerpt from the verse which follows that of the last aria.
This is one of my favorite parts. Probably in my top four favorite movements.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
Messiah 6: But who may abide
Malachi 3:2
2 But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap:
The last part of the verse is left off in the aria. Fuller's soap was used to eliminate impurities in cloth while it was being created. So like a refiner's fire with metal, it is another way of refining and removing impurities.
Handel wrote versions of this aria for different voice types. Here is a version for bass:
And one for soprano (it begins at 1:28). We all really like her dress. It's Mara's favorite color. I want to try doing my hair like hers.
2 But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap:
The last part of the verse is left off in the aria. Fuller's soap was used to eliminate impurities in cloth while it was being created. So like a refiner's fire with metal, it is another way of refining and removing impurities.
Handel wrote versions of this aria for different voice types. Here is a version for bass:
And one for soprano (it begins at 1:28). We all really like her dress. It's Mara's favorite color. I want to try doing my hair like hers.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Messiah 5: Thus saith the Lord
Haggai 2:6-7
6 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land;
7 And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.
Malachi 3:1
1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the LORD, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.
For this recitative, Charles Jennens selected two different passages of Messianic prophecy, but they are still related by the use of the phrase "The Lord of hosts".
6 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land;
7 And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.
Malachi 3:1
1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the LORD, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.
For this recitative, Charles Jennens selected two different passages of Messianic prophecy, but they are still related by the use of the phrase "The Lord of hosts".
Saturday, November 6, 2010
We Went to the Symphony!
On the 23rd Dad took Mara, Helena, and me to the Symphony. This was the first time I'd ever gone to the symphony.
They performed "Urban Runway," which was composed by the conductor, Bramwell Tovey. He is British, and he composed this piece for the fourth of July, which he made a bunch of jokes about. I really liked him, and he looked like he really enjoyed what he was doing. He reminded us all of Lawrence Welk. This is a photo of Tovey:
They also performed Erich Korngold's Violin Concerto in D Major. The concerto is based on the music he wrote for three different movies: Another Dawn, Anthony Adverse, and The Prince and the Pauper. In The Prince and the Pauper, this theme accompanied the hunt for the royal seal, and those of you who have seen this movie know how great the music is. The soloist was Philippe Quint, who was born in Russia and graduated from Juilliard. Helena says he looks like Josh Groban. I hadn't heard of either of them before, so it doesn't really matter to me. This is Quint:
The last piece they performed was Antonin Dvorák's New World Symphony. My favorite part was the part in the third movement that he based off of an Indian dance scene in "Hiawatha," because it took the overriding theme and made it very dynamic and exciting. In the first movement of the symphony, apparently Tovey's baton broke because something white went flying off into the first violins and he conducted the rest of it with a slightly shortened baton.
Personally, I don't think I really know which piece was my favorite. They all were very nice in their own way.
They performed "Urban Runway," which was composed by the conductor, Bramwell Tovey. He is British, and he composed this piece for the fourth of July, which he made a bunch of jokes about. I really liked him, and he looked like he really enjoyed what he was doing. He reminded us all of Lawrence Welk. This is a photo of Tovey:
 |
| Photo courtesy of Bethel Woods Center for the Arts |
The last piece they performed was Antonin Dvorák's New World Symphony. My favorite part was the part in the third movement that he based off of an Indian dance scene in "Hiawatha," because it took the overriding theme and made it very dynamic and exciting. In the first movement of the symphony, apparently Tovey's baton broke because something white went flying off into the first violins and he conducted the rest of it with a slightly shortened baton.
Personally, I don't think I really know which piece was my favorite. They all were very nice in their own way.
Messiah 4: And the glory of the Lord
Isaiah 40:5
5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
This chorus concludes the excerpt from Isaiah 40, although there will be two other excerpts from the same chapter later.
5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
This chorus concludes the excerpt from Isaiah 40, although there will be two other excerpts from the same chapter later.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Messiah 3: Every valley shall be exalted
Isaiah 40:4
4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:
This tenor aria continues the passage from Isaiah that began in the previous recitative.
4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:
This tenor aria continues the passage from Isaiah that began in the previous recitative.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Messiah 2: Comfort ye my people
Isaiah 40:1-3
1 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.
2 Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD's hand double for all her sins.
3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
1 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.
2 Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD's hand double for all her sins.
3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
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