Richard Jones PI: B889583X A342 Central questions in the study of music TMA 05

Part 1 (94 marks)

In an essay of 3000 words, discuss how Haydns oratorio The Creation

reflected and responded to its musical and social context, supporting your
arguments with evidence from the following aria, recitative and chorus. You
should draw on the module materials and secondary sources (some of which
are listed in the Guidance notes) in your answer, making reference to at least
five relevant scholarly publications in addition to anything you cite from the
module materials. The excerpts from The Creation are:

Aria: Rollend in schumenden Wellen

Recitative: Gleich ffnet sich der Erde Schoss

Chorus: Die Himmel erzhlen die Ehre Gottes

The Creation, completed in 1798, is considered by many to be one of Haydns

greatest achievements. Haydn was 66 when the work was finished and had a wealth
of prior experience in writing large symphonies and operas. The Creation, or Die
Schpfung as it was originally titled in German, was commissioned by the
impresario????????????????????? and sponsored by a group of noble citizens
who paid handsomely for the right to stage the premier performance for a private
audience of wealthy and aristocratic nobles in the Schwarzenberg Palace in Vienna
on April 30th 1798. After its first performance however, it was featured numerous
times in public concerts and became very popular with the audiences of the time.

To begin a study into Haydns Oratorio, we must first look back in time at works
which influenced its production and the social and musical contexts in which they
were performed at the time. The Creation bares little similarity to the German and
Italian oratorios which were current during Haydns lifetime in Vienna and doesnt
appear to have been closely influenced by his own previous works. Instead Its true
ancestor is the English oratorio of Handel. (3rd given background p.1). In the early
18th century London had been divided by political and religious tensions and new
post-revolutionary ideas began to prosper. For the first time in Europe the
commercial concert scene began and became very popular, offering new
opportunities for musicians and composers to make new fortunes outside of
traditional patronage. Handel was one such composer to settle in London to take
advantage of this independent venture.

Italian opera was very popular due to its associations with the high classes. Many
composers saw this popular demand as an opportunity to reach out to multiple
audiences. A gap in the market then formed for the composition of Oratorios. The
idea was very popular with the public in London due to the libretto focusing solely on
biblical texts and the use of large forces. An additional benefit came when Lord
Chamberlain put a ban on theatre performances on Wednesdays and Fridays during
Richard Jones PI: B889583X A342 Central questions in the study of music TMA 05

Lent. This did not apply to oratorios due to their religious associations; therefore they
became increasingly popular and commonplace in venues across London.

Haydn first became interested in Handels oratorios during his short visits to London
in 1791-92 and 1794-95. He visited Handels festivals at Westminster abbey where
he was inspired by the large forces of hundreds of performers in works such as
Israel in Egypt and the Messiah. An early biographer, Giuseppe Carpani, said Haydn
had confessed that he was struck as if he had been put back to the beginning of
his studies and had known nothing up to that moment. (barbican p.3). Haydn was
very religious and was very fond of the idea of creating works based on biblical
material; he often spoke of his belief that his works were inspired by God (classic
fm). In 1796, Haydn began work on The Creation hoping to match the scale and
success of what he had witnessed in London.

The Creation was written with the publics devotion to faith in mind. It depicts and
describes the creation of the world as it is in the book of genesis and also sections of
Paradise Lost, a 17th-century English poem by John Milton (16081674). These
stories will have been known by a large portion of the public and would therefore
spark great interest when put to music. In keeping with the popular opera forms, the
oratorio was created with named characters and split into acts and scenes consisting
of recitatives, arias and chorus. However, the performers performed their parts with
neither costumes nor acting in the operatic sense. (p.25 history oratorios given).
Similarly to late 18th century serious opera, the oratorios of the time had increasingly
...more choruses and ensembles and fewer simple recitatives. (ibid).

The work is split into three sections; the first focusing on the creation of the planets
and the universe. The second deals with the creation of animals and the beginning of
man and woman. The third section then focuses on Adam and Eve and the idea of a
perfect new world as described in Paradise Lost. The size of the scoring was very
appealing to audiences of the day, made up of three vocal soloists (soprano, tenor
and bass) who each represent an archangel, a four part chorus (soprano, alto, tenor
and bass) accompanied by a very large Classical orchestra of first and second
violins, cellos, double basses, three flutes, two clarinets, two oboes, a
contrabassoon, two horns, two trumpets, alto, tenor and bass trombones, timpani as
well as pianoforte (very popular at the time) and harpsichord (both keyboard
instruments used in the recitatives).

The Libretto was given to Haydn during his second visit to London by the impresario
Johann Peter Salomon in English. Haydn then passed it to the baron Grattfried von
Swieten (the Imperial Court librarian) in Vienna in 1795. He then translated the text
into German for Haydn to use to compose The Creation. Swieten made a number of
recommendations within the libretto to advise Haydn during composition. One such
recommendation which may have influenced the music was Swietens strong
suggestion that the words Let there be Light / And there was Light were to only be
sung once. (barbican p.3). Haydn was keen for Swieten not to alter the biblical texts
Richard Jones PI: B889583X A342 Central questions in the study of music TMA 05

too much as he believed this wouldnt be accepted by the religious audiences.

Despite this, Swieten often judged it necessary that much should be abridged or
even omitted, on the one hand, and on the other, that much should be given greater
emphasis, and much placed in the shade. (barbican p.3).

The libretto was eventually translated back into English as Haydn preferred for an
English speaking audience to hear the music in their native language to ensure they
understand it. This oratorio became the first large scale work to be published with
bilingual texts and it was obvious it was intended to appeal to a big an audience as
possible. He intended to make a big impression upon as many people as he could;
to do this he needed to win over performers and listeners, publishers and
purchasers, connoisseurs and critics. Most of all, he needed to make sure that his
work sounded good. (p.8 cambridge companion, Elaine Sisman given 1).

From the mid-eighteen century oratorios in Italy began using increasingly more
staging, costume and acting. Despite this, the majority of Europe resisted this
temptation as the characteristic manner of performing an oratorio, in any
language, continued to be that of a concert, with music in the hands of the singers.
(p.569 history of oratorio, given 2). The lack of acting during oratorios increased the
importance placed on the libretto to ensure the plot was clear and easily understood.
The libretto was often sold to audiences in advance of performance to allow listeners
to study the story beforehand. This clearly shows the importance placed upon the
themes represented in the oratorios of the time and implies the audiences had more
interest in the work than just the audible qualities of the music.

Musical context

Haydn stood out amongst many oratorio composers of the time because of his
creative development towards incorporating dramatic technique with his bold use of
orchestral colour, his adventurous harmony, exceptional rhythmic and melodic
inventiveness. (http://www.choirs.org.uk/prognotes/Creation.htm). An example of his
creativeness can be found in his audio depiction of the primal life before creation
heard at the beginning on this work. This opening section, labelled The
Representation of Chaos is harmonically very vague and constantly avoids
resolution opportunities as if the fate of creation is still undecided upon. The
orchestral movement here feels very empty, this is explained during the following
recitative as Raphael tells us the earth was without form, and void. (ibid).

Perhaps the most prolific moment in the work comes during the representation of the
creation of light. Here the preceding key of C minor suddenly becomes bright with
an immediate explosion into C major with long beaming notes reflecting the idea of
light rays being created from nowhere and streaming across the previously void
space. The powerful homophonic chordal movement of the brass and chorus
combined with the sudden unmuted strings clearly marks a celebration of something
so excellent that it may not be possible to explain in words. This moment was
notably a prolific moment in late 18 th century music and went down extremely well
Richard Jones PI: B889583X A342 Central questions in the study of music TMA 05

with critics of the time, at that moment when light broke out for the first time, one
would have said that rays darted from the composer's burning eyes.
(https://www.choraline.com/haydn-creation-vocal-score) (FIND REVIEW FROM
AUDIENCE)

Tone painting makes up a large portion of the oratorio as it intends to aid the text in
explaining the story of the creation of the worlds. It is evident in the Aria Rollend in
schumenden Wellen which begins with semi quaver passages in the strings
creating a washing feeling of turbulent currents while the text describes a boisterous
sea. This scene then instantly changes at bar 27 when the phrasing becomes very
pointed with staccato peaks audibly representing the peaks of mountain ranges
being formed Mountains and rocks now emerge. The music then reaches a
distinctive contrast after a perfect cadence finishes the preceding section in bar 49.
This new section is more legato and horizontal helping the listener to visualise the
scene of plains forming and stretching out far and wide. In the final section the text
thro silent vales the limpid brook is repeated a number of times bringing the aria to
a comfortable close. In bar 111 there is a vocal arpeggio which emphasises the
comfortable setting in key and leads us easily into the perfect cadence at the end.

The change from D minor to D major at the coda reflects the move from the busy
uncertainty of creation into the resulted calm and pleasantness of post creation. It is
thought that Rollend in schumenden Wellen has taken inspiration from revenge
aria of 18th century opera buffa, as for instance in "La vendetta", from Mozart's The
Marriage of Figaro. (https://www.choraline.com/haydn-creation-vocal-score).

http://www.laphil.com/philpedia/music/die-schopfung-creation-joseph-haydn

Hvent mentioned bibliocal book of psalms ???????????????

Richard Jones PI: B889583X A342 Central questions in the study of music TMA 05

Part 2 (6 marks)

Submit evidence of your engagement with the independent study activities for
Block 3. Include with TMA 05 a copy of (a) two responses you have posted to
your Independent Study tutor group forum and (b) two comments you have
posted to responses by other students in your tutor group. The responses and
comments should be to different activities (see A342 Assessment Guide,
Section 5). Follow the instructions on documenting your independent study in
the A342 Assessment Guide, and be sure to include the information necessary
for your tutor to verify your work (your name, the date and time of your posts,
and the associated permalinks).

Individual study to Unit 22

Response

07 Apr 2016 12:18

Permalink - https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/forumng/discuss.php?d=1740958#p13248932

The beginning of Neo-Classical music is widely disputed but we know it was very popular
with composers between 1915-1940. The aim was to bring music back to the pre-
romanticism ideals of balance and order as a reaction to modern ideas. The late
romanticisms common use of formless structures combined with atonal harmonies was
Richard Jones PI: B889583X A342 Central questions in the study of music TMA 05

becoming less popular as composers began searching for ways to bring the clarity of
classical music back, while retaining some of musics advances since the era.

Neo-Classical Music can often be difficult to distinguish but employs clear characteristics of
classicism. Focus is put into rhythm, contrapuntal texture and tonal harmonies. The step
back from the unrestrained emotionalism of late romantic music was welcomed in much of
Europe and America during the 20th century. The return to traditional instrumental music
often had the addition of modern advances such as electronic instruments to add flavour to
the music.

Although the name neo-classicism seems to hint towards a modern view of 18th century
Classical music, the reality is many composers have taken influences from an array of eras
including baroque (although some would give neo-baroque its own category).

One of the prolific Neo-Classical composers was Igor Stravinsky. His ballet Pulcinella, first
heard in 1920, is considered a textbook representation of Neo-Classical Music.

Neo-Classical playlist

Igor Stravinsky The Firebird (Infernal Dance Berceuse Finale)

Stephen Beneking - Prelude Fantasie No.1

Ernest Bloch - Concerto Grosso no. 1

Stephen Beneking Nocturne No.3 in D minor

Johnny Mazur Clouds

Henryk Grecki - Sonata for Two Violins

Individual study to Unit 17

Response

07 Apr 2016 12:15

Permalink - https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/forumng/discuss.php?d=1740951#p13248893

This film describes Charles Jennens as a very private man who was part of a wealthy family.
Due to his wealth it was not required of him to have a profession, therefore allowing him to
devote his time to his passions of faith, politics and music. He collaborated with Handel as a
Librettist on a number of oratorios and most notably on the Messiah.

The interesting thing about their relationship is that Jennens did not receive a fee for his
work with Handel. It is suggested that for him to get across his beliefs through the music was
sufficient payment for his time and he requested no glory for his achievements.

For further investigation into Jennens life and collaborations with Handel, it would be a good
idea to search for other youtube documentaries similar to this one. A wealth of information
Richard Jones PI: B889583X A342 Central questions in the study of music TMA 05

would likely be found on the Grove Music Online and also the Open University Library. There
are also a number of useful links found at the end of this film along with mention of
autography scores of some of their works together. If possible it may also be useful to visit
the Handel House Museum or look for information on their website.

Individual study to Unit 16

Comment

07 Apr 2016 12:27

Permalink - https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/forumng/discuss.php?d=1740949#p13249014

This is a very interesting study and has led me to look up Percy Grainger on Youtube. I too
didn't realise he had such involvement with modernist music as I had only ever associated
him with In an English Country Garden. This was a very interesting read; keep up the good
work Pauline.

Individual study to Unit 18

Comment

07 Apr 2016 12:52

Permalink - https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/forumng/discuss.php?d=1740952#p13249244

I also read this review and enjoyed it. I found it interesting how each opinion differs and
especially enjoyed hearing the difference of feelings towards the tone-painting. Thank you
for your response, I enjoyed reading it.

Biography