Israel in Egypt
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Oratorios by George Frideric Handel |
|---|
Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno (1707) |
Israel in Egypt (HWV 54) is a biblical oratorio by the composer George Frideric Handel. Many historians believe the libretto was compiled by Handel's collaborator Charles Jennens and is composed entirely of selected passages from the Hebrew Bible, mainly from Exodus and the Psalms.
Israel in Egypt premiered at London's King's theatre in Haymarket on April 4, 1739. Handel started it soon after the opera season at King's theatre was cancelled because of a lack of subscribers. The oratorio was not well received by audiences, although commended in the London Daily Post, and the second performance was shortened, and the mainly choral work was augmented with Italian arias.
An early version of the piece is in three parts rather than the later two; incorporating the first part more famous as "The ways of Zion do Mourn", with altered text as "The Sons of Israel do Mourn" lamenting the death of Joseph. This section precedes the Exodus which in the tripartite version is Part II rather than Part I. This variant has been recorded by Andrew Parrott and Stephen Cleobury a.o.
This oratorio is notable for being the earliest known recorded music, made in The Crystal Palace by Col. George Gouraud in 1888-06-29 on Edison's yellow paraffin cylinder.
Handel festival: "Israel In Egypt" (excerpt)
[edit] External links
- full-text libretto hosted by Stanford
- Israel in Egypt libretto hosted by Wikisource.
- Program Notes by Boston Cecilia
[edit] References
Anthony Hicks. "George Frideric Handel", Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (accessed May 20, 2006), grovemusic.com (subscription access).
