![George Frideric Handel by Balthasar Denner](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/George_Frideric_Handel_by_Balthasar_Denner.jpg)
''Solomon'',
HWV 67, is an
oratorio
An oratorio () is a large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists. Like most operas, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias. However, opera is mus ...
by
George Frideric Handel
George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque music, Baroque composer well known for his opera#Baroque era, operas, oratorios, anthems, concerto grosso, concerti grossi, ...
. The anonymous
libretto
A libretto (Italian for "booklet") 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 the t ...
– currently thought to have been penned by the English Jewish poet/playwright
Moses Mendes
Moses Mendez, or Mendes, (1690? - 4 February 1758), was a British poet and playwright. It has been suggested that he wrote the anonymous texts for Handel's dramatic English oratorios "Solomon" and " Susanna".
Life and career
Moses Mendez was born ...
(d.1758) – is based on the biblical stories of the wise king
Solomon
Solomon (; , ),, ; ar, سُلَيْمَان, ', , ; el, Σολομών, ; la, Salomon also called Jedidiah (Hebrew language, Hebrew: , Modern Hebrew, Modern: , Tiberian Hebrew, Tiberian: ''Yăḏīḏăyāh'', "beloved of Yahweh, Yah"), ...
from
the First Book of Kings and
the Second Book of Chronicles, with additional material from ''
Antiquities of the Jews
''Antiquities of the Jews'' ( la, Antiquitates Iudaicae; el, Ἰουδαϊκὴ ἀρχαιολογία, ''Ioudaikē archaiologia'') is a 20-volume historiographical work, written in Greek, by historian Flavius Josephus in the 13th year of the re ...
'' by ancient historian
Flavius Josephus
Flavius Josephus (; grc-gre, Ἰώσηπος, ; 37 – 100) was a first-century Romano-Jewish historian and military leader, best known for ''The Jewish War'', who was born in Jerusalem—then part of Roman Judea—to a father of priestly d ...
. The music was composed between 5 May and 13 June
1748
Events
January–March
* January 12 – Ahmad Shah Durrani captures Lahore.
* January 27 – A fire at the prison and barracks at Kinsale, in Ireland, kills 54 of the prisoners of war housed there. An estimated 500 prison ...
, and the first performance took place on 17 March
1749
Events
January–March
* January 3
** Benning Wentworth issues the first of the New Hampshire Grants, leading to the establishment of Vermont.
** The first issue of ''Berlingske'', Denmark's oldest continually operating newspaper, ...
, 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 enjoyed ...
in the title role at the
Covent Garden Theatre
The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal Op ...
in London, where it had two further performances. Handel revived the work in 1759.
The oratorio contains a short and lively instrumental passage for two
oboe
The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range.
A ...
s and strings in Act Three, known as "The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba", which has become famous outside the context of the complete work, and was featured at the
2012 London Olympics opening ceremony as
James Bond
The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...
(
Daniel Craig
Daniel Wroughton Craig (born 2 March 1968) is an English-American actor who gained international fame playing the secret agent James Bond in the film series, beginning with '' Casino Royale'' (2006) and in four further instalments, up to '' ...
) goes to meet
the Queen
In the English-speaking world, The Queen most commonly refers to:
* Elizabeth II (1926–2022), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 1952 until her death
The Queen may also refer to:
* Camilla, Queen Consort (born 1947), ...
at
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...
.
Background
The German-born Handel had been resident in London since 1712 and had there enjoyed great success as a composer of Italian operas. His opportunities to set English texts to music had at first been more limited; he had spent the years 1717 to 1719 as composer in residence to the wealthy
Duke of Chandos
The Dukedom of Chandos is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of England. First created as a barony by Edward III in 1337, its second creation in 1554 was due to the Brydges family's service to Mary I during Wyatt's rebellion, wh ...
where he had written church anthems and two stage works, ''
Acis and Galatea'' and ''
Esther
Esther is the eponymous heroine of the Book of Esther. In the Achaemenid Empire, the Persian king Ahasuerus seeks a new wife after his queen, Vashti, is deposed for disobeying him. Hadassah, a Jewess who goes by the name of Esther, is chosen ...
''; and had composed vocal music to English words for various royal occasions, including a set of
Coronation anthem
A coronation anthem is a piece of choral music written to accompany the coronation of a monarch.
Many composers have written coronation anthems. However, the best known were composed by George Frideric Handel for the coronation of the British ...
s for
King George II in 1727, which had made a huge impact.
In 1731, a performance of the 1718 version of ''Esther'', a work in English based on a Biblical drama by
Jean Racine
Jean-Baptiste Racine ( , ) (; 22 December 163921 April 1699) was a French dramatist, one of the three great playwrights of 17th-century France, along with Molière and Corneille as well as an important literary figure in the Western traditio ...
, was staged in London without Handel's participation and had proved popular, so Handel revised the work and planned to have it performed at the theatre where his Italian operas were being presented.
However the
Bishop of London
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
would not permit a drama based on a Biblical story to be acted out on the stage, and therefore Handel presented ''Esther'' in concert form, thus giving birth to the English oratorio.
Such was the success of his oratorios in English that eventually Handel abandoned Italian opera, his last being
''Deidamia'' in 1741, and produced a string of masterpieces of oratorio in English.
[ ]
''
Opera seria
''Opera seria'' (; plural: ''opere serie''; usually called ''dramma per musica'' or ''melodramma serio'') is an Italian musical term which refers to the noble and "serious" style of Italian opera that predominated in Europe from the 1710s to abo ...
'', the form of Italian opera that Handel composed for London, focused overwhelmingly on solo arias and
recitatives
Recitative (, also known by its Italian name "''recitativo''" ()) is a style of delivery (much used in operas, oratorios, and cantatas) in which a singer is allowed to adopt the rhythms and delivery of ordinary speech. Recitative does not repeat ...
for the star singers and contained very little else; they did not feature separate choruses. With the English oratorios Handel had the opportunity to mix operatic arias in English for the soloists with large choruses of the type that he used in the Coronation anthems. The oratorios found a wider audience among more social classes than the aristocratic audience who had sponsored and enjoyed Handel's Italian operas.
''Solomon'' was widely recognised by commentators of the day as a
eulogy
A eulogy (from , ''eulogia'', Classical Greek, ''eu'' for "well" or "true", ''logia'' for "words" or "text", together for "praise") is a speech or writing in praise of a person or persons, especially one who recently died or retired, or as a ...
for
Georgian England
Georgian may refer to:
Common meanings
* Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country)
** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group
** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians
**Georgian scripts, three scrip ...
, with the just and wise King Solomon representing King George II, and the mighty, prosperous kingdom of Israel reflecting the similarly happy state of England at the time of the work's premiere, in the view of its creators.
However, a 21st-century commentator has noted that ''Solomon'' was not a great commercial success with London audiences of the time, possibly because of complexities and ambiguities in its portrayal of the central character King Solomon.
Dramatis personae
Synopsis
Act 1
The work begins with Solomon and his people celebrating the consecration of the
Temple
A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...
he has built in
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
. Solomon rejoices in his married happiness to his one wife (unlike the biblical Solomon, who is stated to have had hundreds of wives and
concubines
Concubinage is an interpersonal and sexual relationship between a man and a woman in which the couple does not want, or cannot enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarded as similar but mutually exclusive.
Concubin ...
),
and promises to build his queen a palace for her.
They express their love for each other and retire for the night as flower-scented breezes and nightingales' songs lull them to rest.
Act 2
The wisdom of Solomon is presented in the
famous biblical story of two
harlots
Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-pene ...
who each claimed a single baby as her own. Solomon offers to solve the case by splitting the infant in half with his sword, but the real mother rejects this solution and offers to hand the child over to the other woman, as Solomon knew the true parent would do.
The First Harlot and the chorus praise Solomon's judgement.
Act 3
In Act Three we see a state visit from the
Queen of Sheba
The Queen of Sheba ( he, מַלְכַּת שְׁבָא, Malkaṯ Šəḇāʾ; ar, ملكة سبأ, Malikat Sabaʾ; gez, ንግሥተ ሳባ, Nəgśətä Saba) is a figure first mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. In the original story, she bring ...
to Solomon's kingdom. The king and his people entertain her with a musical
masque
The masque was a form of festive courtly entertainment that flourished in 16th- and early 17th-century Europe, though it was developed earlier in Italy, in forms including the intermedio (a public version of the masque was the pageant). A masque ...
of magnificent choruses depicting in turn the "lulling" sound of gentle music, the desire for military glory, the despair of an unhappy lover, and a storm which turns to calm.
All celebrate the Israel of the wise ruler Solomon as a Golden Age of peace, happiness, and prosperity.
List of musical numbers
Act Three begins with the very famous
sinfonia
Sinfonia (; plural ''sinfonie'') is the Italian word for symphony, from the Latin ''symphonia'', in turn derived from Ancient Greek συμφωνία ''symphōnia'' (agreement or concord of sound), from the prefix σύν (together) and ϕωνή (sou ...
known as "The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba".
(Note: "Sinfonia" in this context means a purely instrumental piece. "Accompagnato" is a
recitative
Recitative (, also known by its Italian name "''recitativo''" ()) is a style of delivery (much used in operas, oratorios, and cantatas) in which a singer is allowed to adopt the rhythms and delivery of ordinary speech. Recitative does not repea ...
accompanied by the orchestra, rather than by
continuo instruments only, as in the passages marked "recitative".)
;Act One
:1. Overture
:Scene 1: ''Solomon, Zadok, priests and chorus''
:2.Your harps and cymbals (chorus)
:3.Praise ye the Lord (Levite – air)
:4.With pious heart (chorus)
:5.Almighty Power (Solomon – accompagnato)
:6.Imperial Solomon (Zadok – recitative)
:7.Sacred raptures (Zadok – air)
:8.Throughout the land (chorus)
:9.Bless’d be the Lord (Solomon – recitative)
:10.What though I trace (Solomon – air)
:Scene 2: ''To them the Queen''
:11.And see my Queen (Solomon – recitative)
:12.Bless’d the day (Queen – air)
:13.Thou fair inhabitant of Nile (Solomon, Queen – recitative)
:14.Welcome as the dawn of day (Queen Solomon – duet)
:15.Vain are the transient beauties (Zadok – recitative)
:16.Indulge thy faith (Zadok – air)
:17.My blooming fair (Solomon – recitative)
:18.Haste to the cedar grove (Solomon – air)
:19.When thou art absent (Queen – recitative)
:20.With thee th’unshelter’d moor (Queen – air)
:21.May no rash intruder ("Nightingale Chorus") (chorus)
;Act Two
:Scene 1: ''Solomon, Zadok, Levite, chorus of priests and Israelites''
:22.From the censer curling rise (chorus)
:23.Prais’d be the Lord (Solomon – recitative)
:24.When the sun o’er yonder hills (Solomon – air)
:25.Great prince (Levite – recitative)
:26.Thrice bless’d that wise discerning king (Levite – air)
:Scene 2: ''To them an attendant''
:27.My sovereign liege (Attendant, Solomon – recitative)
:Scene 3: ''To them the two harlots''
:28.Thou son of David (First harlot – recitative)
:29.Words are weak (First and second harlot, Solomon – trio)
:30.What says the other (Solomon, second harlot – recitative)
:31.Thy sentence, great king (Second harlot – air)
:32.Withhold, withhold the executing hand (First harlot – recitative)
:33.Can I see my infant gor’d (First harlot – air)
:34.Israel attend (Solomon – accompagnato)
:35.Thrice bless’d be the king (First harlot, Solomon – duet)
:36.From the east unto the west (chorus)
:37.From morn to eve (Zadok – recitative)
:38.See the tall palm (Zadok – air).
:39.No more shall armed bands (First harlot – recitative)
:40.Beneath the vine (First harlot – air)
:41.Swell, swell the full chorus (chorus)
;Act Three
:42.Sinfonia ("Arrival of the Queen of Sheba")
:''Solomon, Queen of Sheba, Zadok, chorus of Israelites''
:43.From Arabia’s spicy shores (Queen of Sheba, Solomon – recitative)
:44.Ev’ry sight these eyes behold (Queen of Sheba – air)
:45.Sweep, sweep the string (Solomon – recitative)
:46.Music spread thy voice around (Solomon and chorus)
:47.Now a different measure (Solomon and chorus)
:48.Then at once from rage remove (Solomon – recitative)
:49.Draw the tear from hopeless love (chorus)
:50.Next the tortur’d soul release (Solomon – recitative)
:51.Thus rolling surges rise (Solomon and chorus)
:52.Thy harmony’s divine (Queen of Sheba – recitative)
:53.Pious king (Levite – air)
:54.Thrice happy king (Zadok – recitative)
:55.Golden columns (Zadok – air)
:56.Praise the Lord (chorus)
:57.Gold now is common (Solomon – recitative)
:58.How green our fertile pastures look (Solomon – air)
:59.May peace in Salem (Queen of Sheba – recitative)
:60.Will the sun forget to streak (Queen of Sheba – air)
:61.Adieu, fair queen (Solomon – recitative)
:62.Ev’ry joy that wisdom knows (Queen of Sheba, Solomon – duet)
:63.The name of the wicked (chorus)
Musical features
"Solomon" is richly orchestrated by the standards of its day, calling for an orchestra of flutes, oboes, bassoons, horns, trumpets, timpani, strings, and
basso continuo
Basso continuo parts, almost universal in the Baroque era (1600–1750), provided the harmonic structure of the music by supplying a bassline and a chord progression. The phrase is often shortened to continuo, and the instrumentalists playing th ...
instruments. Many of the grand and varied choruses are in eight parts ("a double chorus") instead of the more usual four parts.
The final number of Act I is the chorus “May no rash intruder”, usually called the Nightingale Chorus, with flutes imitating birdsong over a gentle rustling effect created by strings divided into numerous different parts.
Act 3 begins with the very famous
sinfonia
Sinfonia (; plural ''sinfonie'') is the Italian word for symphony, from the Latin ''symphonia'', in turn derived from Ancient Greek συμφωνία ''symphōnia'' (agreement or concord of sound), from the prefix σύν (together) and ϕωνή (sou ...
known as "The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba", a bright and sprightly orchestral piece featuring oboes which has often been used outside the context of the oratorios as a processional piece.
Sir Thomas Beecham
Sir Thomas Beecham, 2nd Baronet, Order of the Companions of Honour, CH (29 April 18798 March 1961) was an English conductor and impresario best known for his association with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic and the Roya ...
is believed to have given the name "The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba" to this sinfonia, perhaps in 1933 when he made a recording of it, or perhaps in 1955 when he recorded the oratorio in an abridged and re-orchestrated form.
Recordings
Notes
External links
Librettoat
Stanford University
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
*
Score Deutsche Händelgesellschaft (German Handel Society), 1867
{{Authority control
Oratorios by George Frideric Handel
1748 compositions
Solomon
Oratorios based on the Bible