George Frideric Handel by Balthasar Denner

''Alexander Balus'' ( HWV 65) is an

oratorio An oratorio () is a musical composition with dramatic or narrative text for choir, soloists and orchestra or other ensemble. Similar to opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguisha ...

George Frideric Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel ( ; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well-known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concerti. Born in Halle, Germany, H ...

, named after its title character, the

Seleucid The Seleucid Empire ( ) was a Greek state in West Asia during the Hellenistic period. It was founded in 312 BC by the Macedonian general Seleucus I Nicator, following the division of the Macedonian Empire founded by Alexander the Great, a ...

king

Alexander Balas Alexander I Theopator Euergetes, surnamed Balas (), was the ruler of the Seleucid Empire from 150 BC to August 145 BC. Picked from obscurity and supported by the neighboring Roman-allied Kingdom of Pergamon, Alexander landed in Phoenicia in 1 ...

. The work has three acts and was written in English. The period of the story is from 150 B.C to 145 B.C. The

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...

is by

Thomas Morell Thomas Morell (; 18 March 1703 – 19 February 1784) was an English librettist, classical scholar, and printer.1 Maccabees 1 Maccabees, also known as the First Book of Maccabees, First Maccabees, and abbreviated as 1 Macc., is a deuterocanonical book which details the history of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire as well as the founding and earliest hi ...

. Fourth in a series of English military oratorios, following ''

Joshua Joshua ( ), also known as Yehoshua ( ''Yəhōšuaʿ'', Tiberian Hebrew, Tiberian: ''Yŏhōšuaʿ,'' Literal translation, lit. 'Yahweh is salvation'), Jehoshua, or Josue, functioned as Moses' assistant in the books of Book of Exodus, Exodus and ...

'' and the success of ''

Judas Maccabaeus Judas Maccabaeus or Maccabeus ( ), also known as Judah Maccabee (), was a Jewish priest (''kohen'') and a son of the priest Mattathias. He led the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire (167–160 BCE). The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah ("Ded ...

'', celebrating the victories of the Hanoverian monarchy over the

Jacobite uprisings Jacobitism was a political ideology advocating the restoration of the senior line of the House of Stuart to the British throne. When James II of England chose exile after the November 1688 Glorious Revolution, the Parliament of England rul ...

, the work moves from celebrations of military success in the first act to personal tragedies in the last. ''Alexander Balus'' was composed in the summer of 1747 and premiered on 23 March 1748 at

Covent Garden Theatre The Royal Opera House (ROH) is a theatre in Covent Garden, central London. The building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. The ROH is the main home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orch ...

, London, with

Caterina Galli Caterina Galli (c. 1723 – 1804) was an Italian operatic mezzo-soprano. She first rose to fame in England in the 1740s and early 1750s where she was particularly admired for her performances in the works of George Frideric Handel. She then enjoye ...

singing the title role, Thomas Lowe as Jonathan, and

Thomas Reinhold Henry Reinhold (c. 1690 – 1751), also known as Thomas Reinhold, was a German opera singer. He was born in Dresden and showed an early aptitude for music, which his family apparently discouraged. But he secretly left Dresden to follow Handel, ...

as Ptolemee. In 1754 Handel made a revision to his work and changed the leading role, the king Alexander, to a soprano instead of an alto.

Dramatis personae

Synopsis

Act 1 Alexander claimed the throne of Syria by killing

Demetrius Demetrius is the Latinization of names, Latinized form of the Ancient Greek male name, male Greek given names, given name ''Dēmḗtrios'' (), meaning "devoted to goddess Demeter". Alternate forms include Demetrios, Dimitrios, Dimitris, Dmytro, ...

the king. Alexander then befriends the Jews and their leader Jonathan Maccabaeus. The king of Egypt, Ptolemee, congratulates Alexander and celebrates his successes by awarding him his daughter, Cleopatra Thea (not the famous Cleopatra of Shakespeare and Handel's opera ''

Giulio Cesare ''Giulio Cesare in Egitto'' (; ; HWV 17), commonly known as , is a dramma per musica (''opera seria'') in three acts composed by George Frideric Handel for the Royal Academy of Music in 1724. The libretto was written by Nicola Francesco Haym ...

''). The two fall in love. Act 2 Alexander and Cleopatra are married. Alexander is led to believe by a messenger that Jonathan plans to betray him after winning his friendship. It is then revealed that Ptolemee only arranged Alexander and Cleopatra's marriage to take Alexander's land and power. He plans to move his troops into Syria under the cover of nightfall to kidnap and kill the young leader. Act 3 Cleopatra is kidnapped by Ptolemee’s ruffians and he intends to force her to marry another man. During Cleopatra's captivity, Ptolemee tries to break her allegiance to Alexander, but is unsuccessful. Alexander rushes off to war, while Jonathan stays behind, fearing the worst and doubting the power of Alexander's Syrian gods. Jonathan's intuition is confirmed when a messenger delivers the news that although they won three battles, Alexander and Ptolemee have been killed. Cleopatra commends herself to the goddess, Isis, and retires to ‘some peaceful shore’. Jonathan reflects on the tragedy, believing that if everyone would have acknowledged the true God, none of this would have happened.

Musical features

Microcosm of London Plate 027 - Covent Garden Theatre edited

Varied and characterful choruses are a feature of the work, the choruses for the Jews being of a serious and

contrapuntal In music theory, counterpoint is the relationship of two or more simultaneous Part (music), musical lines (also called voices) that are harmonically dependent on each other, yet independent in rhythm and Pitch contour, melodic contour. The term ...

quality, in contrast to the simpler, more down to earth and cheerful choruses for the "Asiates". In the massive, complex chorus "O calumny", the chorus comments and moralizes on the action in the manner of choruses in ancient Greek tragedy. The role of Cleopatra is given a series of arias remarkable both for their originality of orchestration and their expressive quality. Her first aria "Hark he strikes the golden lyre" is scored, very unusually, for two flutes, harp and mandolin over a background of

pizzicato Pizzicato (, ; translated as 'pinched', and sometimes roughly as 'plucked') is a playing technique that involves plucking the strings of a string instrument. The exact technique varies somewhat depending on the type of instrument: * On bowe ...

strings to produce an exotic and exquisite effect. Her final sequence of arias as she hears of her husband's defeat and death and prepares herself for suicide achieve a power and poignancy equal to that in many more famous operas.

List of musical numbers

Act 1

Orchestra *Overture Chorus of Asiates *Flushed with conquest, fir’d by Mithra Alexander *Recit. Thus far ye glorious partners of the war Jonathan *Air. Great Author of this harmony *Recit. And thus let happy Egypt’s king Ptolemee *Air. Thrice happy the Monarch, whom nations contend Cleopatra *Recit. Congratulations to our father’s friend *Air. Hark he strikes the golden lyre Alexander *Recit. Be it my chief ambition there to rise *Air. Fair virtue shall charm me Chorus of Asiates *Ye happy nations round Alexander *Recit. My Jonathan, didst thou mark *Air. Oh what restless charms Cleopatra *Air. Subtle Love, with fancy viewing Aspasia, I know not what to call *Air. How happy should we mortals prove? Aspasia *Recit. Check not the pleasing accent of thy tongue *Air. So shall the sweet attractive smile Cleopatra *Recit. How blissful state Ceopatra/Aspasi *Duet. O, what pleasures, past expressing Jonathan *Recit. Why hangs heavy gloom upon the brow Alexander *Air. Heroes may boast their mighty deeds *Air. Mighty Love now calls to arm Jonathan *Recit. Ye sons of Judah, with high festivals proclaim *Air. Great god, from whom all blessings spring Chorus of Israelites *These are thy gifts, almighty king *To thee let grateful Judah sing

Act 2

Alexander *Air. Kind Hope, thou universal friend Jonathan *Recit. Long, long and happy live the king Alexander *Air. O Mithra, with thy brightest beams Sycophant Courtier *Stay my dread sovereign Jonathan *Air. Hateful man! Chorus *O calumny, on virtue waiting Cleopatra *Recit. Ah! Whence these dire forebodings of the mind? *Air. Tost from the thought to thought I rove Aspasia *Recit. Give to the winds, fair princess, these vain doubts *Air. Love, glory, ambition Ptolomee *Recit. Thus far my wishes thrive *Air. Virtue, thou ideal name Jonathan *Recit. Ye happy people Jonathan and Chorus *Triumph, Hymen, in the pair Alexander *Recit. Glad time, at length, has reach’d the happy point Cleopatra/Alexander *Duet. Hail, wedded love, mysterious law Chorus of Asiates *Hymen, fair Urania’s son

Act 3

Orchestra *Sinfonia Cleopatra *Recit. Tis true, instructive nature seldom points *Air. Here amid the shady woods Ruffians/Cleopatra/ *Recit. Mistaken queen! The Gods and Ptolemee Alexander *Recit. Ah! Was it not my Cleopatra’s voice? *Air. Pow’rful guardians of al nature Jonathan *Recit. Treach’ry, o king Alexander *Air. Fury, with red sparkling eyes Asparsia *Recit. Gods! Can there be a more afflicting sight *Air. Strange reverse of human fate Jonathan *Air. The God, who made the radiant sun Chorus of Issaelites *Sun, moon, and stars Ptolomee *Recit. Yes he was false, my daughter *Air. O sword, and thou all-daring hand Cleopatra *Recit. Shall Cleopatra ever smile again? Messenger *Ungrateful tidings to the royal ear Cleopatra *Air. O take me from this hateful light Another Messenger *Forgive, o queen, the messenger of ill Cleopatra *Recit. Calm thy soul, kind Isis *Air. Convey me to some peaceful shore Jonathan *Recit. Mysterious are thy ways, o providence Jonathan and Chorus *Ye servants of th’ eternal King

Instrumentation

The work is scored for strings, two oboes, two trumpets, two horns,

bassoon The bassoon is a musical instrument in the woodwind family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuosity ...

, two flutes, harp, mandolin, and continuo.

Recording

With

Lynne Dawson Lynne Dawson (born 3 June 1953) is an English soprano. She came to great prominence through her performance as a soloist in ''Libera me'' from Requiem (Verdi), Verdi's Requiem with the BBC Singers at Princess Diana's Funeral of Diana, Princess o ...

soprano, Michael George bass, Catherine Denley alto, Charles Daniels tenor,

Claron McFadden Claron McFadden (born 1961) is an American soprano. McFadden studied voice at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, finishing her degree in 1984. She gained international fame when making her Glyndebourne Festival Opera debut in the ...

soprano,

The King's Consort The King's Consort is a British period music orchestra founded in 1980 by the English conductor and harpsichordist Robert King (b. 1960, Wombourne). The ensemble has an associated choral group, Choir of The King's Consort. Together, they have mad ...

, Choir of The King's Consort, New College Choir, Oxford, Robert King. Release date 2010. Hyperion CD:CDA67241/2

References

External links

*
"''Alexander Balus''"
information at gfhandel.org

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

Score
of ''Alexander Balus'' (ed.

Friedrich Chrysander Karl Franz Friedrich Chrysander (8 July 1826 – 3 September 1901) was a German music historian, critic and publisher, whose edition of the works of George Frideric Handel and authoritative writings on many other composers established him as a p ...

, Leipzig 1870) {{authority control Oratorios by George Frideric Handel 1748 oratorios Oratorios based on the Bible Cultural depictions of the Maccabees Cultural depictions of Egyptian monarchs Works set in the 2nd century BC Cultural depictions of Seleucid kings