George Frideric Handel by Balthasar Denner

''Joshua'' ( HWV 64) 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 ...

by George Frideric Handel. It was composed in a month, from 19 July 1747 to 19 August 1747, six months before the beginning of the oratorio season. ''Joshua'' is Handel's fourth oratorio based on a libretto by

Thomas Morell Thomas Morell (; 18 March 1703 – 19 February 1784) was an English librettist, classical scholar, and printer.Winton, Dean. "Joshua." ''Handel's Dramatic Oratorios and Masques''. London: Oxford UP, 1966. N. pag. Print. The oratorio premiered on 9 March 1748 at the Covent Garden Theatre, London.'' Joshua'' is based on the Biblical story of

Joshua Joshua () or Yehoshua ( ''Yəhōšuaʿ'', Tiberian: ''Yŏhōšuaʿ,'' lit. 'Yahweh is salvation') ''Yēšūaʿ''; syr, ܝܫܘܥ ܒܪ ܢܘܢ ''Yəšūʿ bar Nōn''; el, Ἰησοῦς, ar , يُوشَعُ ٱبْنُ نُونٍ '' Yūšaʿ ...

as the leader of the ancient Israelites. The story follows the Israelites from their passage over the Jordan River into

Caanan Canaan (; Phoenician: 𐤊𐤍𐤏𐤍 – ; he, כְּנַעַן – , in pausa – ; grc-bib, Χανααν – ;The current scholarly edition of the Greek Old Testament spells the word without any accents, cf. Septuaginta : id est Vetus Te ...

and through the

Battle of Jericho The Battle of Jericho, as described in the Biblical Book of Joshua, was the first battle fought by the Israelites in the course of the conquest of Canaan. According to , the walls of Jericho fell after the Israelites marched around the city walls ...

. The work also includes a love story elaborated from a few hints in the Biblical narrative between Caleb's daughter Achsah and Othniel, a young soldier. ''Joshua'' was the fourth oratorio Handel had written within the span of twenty months. Following the

Jacobite rising of 1745 The Jacobite rising of 1745, also known as the Forty-five Rebellion or simply the '45 ( gd, Bliadhna Theàrlaich, , ), was an attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the British throne for his father, James Francis Edward Stuart. It took ...

in England, Handel produced a series of English oratorios based on military themes: ''

Occasional Oratorio ''An Occasional Oratorio'' ( HWV 62) is an oratorio by George Frideric Handel, based upon a libretto by Newburgh Hamilton after the poetry of John Milton and Edmund Spenser. The work was written in the midst of the Jacobite rising of 1745–1746 ...

, Judas Maccabaeus, Alexander Balus, Joshua'', and '' Solomon''. The military conquests the Israelites achieve in the oratorio were seen as parallels to the victory of the Hanoverian regime in crushing the Jacobite rebellion. ''Joshua'' was one of his shortest oratorios and contained no genuine overture, instead having only a brief orchestral movement simply titled "Introduction." ''Joshua'' also included at least five pieces borrowed from other Handel compositions. Part One was completed on 30 July 1747, Part Wwo on 8 August and Part Three on 19 August. Handel's second-most-famous chorus, "See the Conq'ring Hero Comes," was first penned for ''Joshua''. It was an immensely popular number and Handel soon added it to '' Judas Maccabaeus'', which had premiered the season before. The chorus is more often thought of in connection with ''Judas'' because of its greater fame. When a friend said to Handel that, in his opinion, the composer had written better pieces than "See the Conq'ring Hero Comes", Handel replied "You will live to see it a greater favourite with the people than my other fine things."

Dramatis personae

Instrumentation

The work is scored for strings, two oboes, flute, two trumpets, two horns, timpani, and continuo.IMSLP Joshua Full Score

Plot summary

Part One

The Children of Israel celebrate the end of their journey over the Jordan River and into the land of

Canaan Canaan (; Phoenician: 𐤊𐤍𐤏𐤍 – ; he, כְּנַעַן – , in pausa – ; grc-bib, Χανααν – ;The current scholarly edition of the Greek Old Testament spells the word without any accents, cf. Septuaginta : id est Vetus T ...

, praising God for his blessings and Joshua for his leadership. An angel appears to Joshua and appoints him to lead an army against Jericho. Joshua prepares his soldiers for the attack. Othniel, one of Joshua's warriors, is betrothed to Achsah and readies himself to part from his love and go into battle with Joshua.

Part Two

Joshua and his army destroy the mighty city of Jericho and then commemorate the Feast of the

Passover Passover, also called Pesach (; ), is a major Jewish holiday that celebrates the Biblical story of the Israelites escape from slavery in Egypt, which occurs on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan, the first month of Aviv, or spring. ...

. The army gets word of the defeat of

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

at Ai and Joshua gathers his men to renew their attacks. Othniel calls upon Achsah, but Caleb, her father, dismisses him, telling him to go join the war in the defense of Israel's allies. Miraculously, the sun and moon stay their courses, allowing the Israelites to continue fighting until they arise victorious.

Part Three

With the fighting over, Joshua is again lauded as a great leader. He then gives Caleb the land which had been promised to him by Moses. Caleb pledges his daughter's hand to whoever can conquer the city of

Debir A Biblical word, dvir () may refer to: __NOTOC__ Names * Debir King of Eglon, a Canaanite king of Eglon, slain by Joshua (). Aided by miracles, Joshua's army routed the Canaanite military, forcing Debir and the other kings to seek refuge in a cave ...

. Othniel rises to the occasion and asks God to guide him to success. He returns triumphant and Achsah praises God protecting her beloved. The people raise their thanksgivings to God for their prosperity and deliverance.Joshua Complete Score. Kamlus Edition. University of North Carolina School of the Arts Music Library

Musical features

The air for Achsah in the first act "Hark, 'tis the linnet and the thrush!" contains naturalistic tone painting effects for the birdsong referred to in the text, with a solo violin depicting the linnet and a flute the thrush. The martial tone of the trumpets and drums illustrate the battle sequences. The famous chorus "See the Conq'ring Hero Comes" is heard first as a chorus of youths with horns in the orchestra, then a chorus of virgins with flutes, and finally by full chorus with drums. The air in the last act for Achsah "Oh, had I Jubal's lyre", a short expression of joy with virtuoso writing for the soprano, is often heard and recorded outside the context of the full work.

Musical numbers

Part One

*Introduction (Orchestra) *Ye sons of Israel (Chorus) *Behold, my friends (Tenor, Bass recitative) *Oh first in wisdom (Bass aria) *Matrons and Virgins (Soprano recitative) *Oh who can tell (Soprano aria) *Caleb, attend to all I now prescribe (Tenor recitative) *To long posterity (Tenor solo with Chorus) *So long the memory (Tenor recitative) *While Kedron's brook (Tenor aria) *But who is He (Alto recitative) *Awful pleasing being, say (Alto aria) *Joshua, I come commission'd (Tenor, Soprano recitative) *Leader of Israel (Tenor, Soprano recitative) *To give command (Tenor recitative) *Haste, Israel, haste (Tenor aria) *The Lord commands (Chorus) *In these blest scenes (Soprano, Alto recitative) *'Tis Achsah's voice (Soprano, Alto recitative) *Hail, lovely virgin (Soprano, Alto aria) *Hark, hark! 'Tis the linnet (Soprano) *Oh Achsah, form'd for ev'ry chaste delight (Alto recitative) *Our limpid streams (Soprano, Alto duet) *The trumpet calls (Alto recitative) *May all the host of heaven (Chorus)

Part Two

*'Tis well (Tenor recitative) *March (Orchestra) *Glory to God (Tenor solo and Chorus) *The walls are levell'd (Bass recitative) *See the raging flames arise (Bass aria) *To vanity and earthly pride (Soprano aria) *Let all the seed of Abrah'm (Tenor recitative) *Almighty ruler of the skies (Tenor solo and Chorus) *Joshua, the men (Bass recitative) *How soon our tow'ring hopes are cross'd (Chorus) *Whence this dejection (Tenor recitative) *With redoubled rage return (Tenor aria) *We with redoubled rage (Chorus) *Now give the army breath (Alto recitative) *Heroes, when with glory burning (Alto aria) *Indulgent heaven hath heard (Soprano recitative) *As chears the sun (Soprano aria) *Sure I'm deceived (Bass, Alto recitative) *Nations, who in future story (Alto aria) *Brethren and friends (Tenor recitative) *Sinfonia (Orchestra) *Thus far our cause (Bass recitative) *Trumpet flourish (Orchestra) *Oh! thou bright orb (Tenor solo and Chorus)

Part Three

*Hail! Mighty Joshua (Chorus) *Happy, oh, thrice happy we (Soprano aria) *Caleb, for holy Eleazer send (Tenor, Bass recitative) *Shall I in Mamre's fertile plain (Bass aria) *For all these mercies we will sing (Chorus) *Oh Caleb, fear'd by foes (Alto, Bass recitative) *Place danger around me (Alto aria) *Father of mercy (Chorus) *In bloom of youth (Tenor recitative) *See the conqu'ring hero comes (Trio SSA) *See the godlike youth advance (Duet SA) *See the conqu'ring hero comes (Chorus) *Welcome, my son (Bass, alto, soprano recitative) *Oh, had I Jubal's lyre (Soprano aria) *While life shall last (Alto recitative) *Oh peerless maid (Soprano, Alto duet) *While lawless tyrants (Bass recitative) *The great Jehovah (Chorus)

Notable performances

The first staging of ''Joshua'' occurred in 1752. Before the performance, Handel cut the first

aria In music, an aria ( Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompa ...

, entitled "O first in wisdom." He also expanded the overture by adding the fugue and

courante The ''courante'', ''corrente'', ''coranto'' and ''corant'' are some of the names given to a family of triple metre dances from the late Renaissance and the Baroque era. In a Baroque dance suite an Italian or French courante is typically paired ...

from ''Solomon''. For another performance in 1754, Handel again cut the first aria, but then added five more pieces: four arias and one

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 repeat ...

. ''Joshua'' was performed in

Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of ...

in 1754. It was performed again in 1756 during a three-day Handel festival and in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

in 1755 and 1759. Other noteworthy performances include: *

Three Choirs Festival 200px, Worcester cathedral 200px, Gloucester cathedral The Three Choirs Festival is a music festival held annually at the end of July, rotating among the cathedrals of the Three Counties (Hereford, Gloucester and Worcester) and originally featu ...

in 1759, 1769, 1773 and 1781 *The Oxford Music Room in 1766, 1768 and 1773 * Winchester 1770–1783 *

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

in 1827 and 1832 *London Sacred Harmonic Society in 1839 * Aberdare in 1953

Recordings

* With

John Mark Ainsley John Mark Ainsley (born 9 July 1963) is an English lyric tenor. Known for his supple voice, Ainsley is particularly admired for his interpretations of baroque music and the works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. In the course of his career, he has g ...

, tenor, James Bowman countertenor,

Emma Kirkby Dame Carolyn Emma Kirkby, (; born 26 February 1949) is an English soprano and early music specialist. She has sung on over 100 recordings. Education and early career Kirkby was educated at Hanford School, Sherborne School for Girls in Dorse ...

, 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 m ...

and New College Choir, Robert King, conductor. Release date 1990. Hyperion CD: CDA66461/2 *With James Gilchrist tenor, Myung-Hee Hyun soprano, Alex Potter, counter-tenor, Konstantin Wolff bass, Collegium Cartusianum, Peter Neumann, conductor. Release date 2008. MDG CD:MDG3321532 *With Katherine Manley soprano, Alexandra Gibson mezzo-soprano, Allan Clayton tenor, George Humphreys bass, Richard Rowntree tenor, London Handel Orchestra and Chorus,

Laurence Cummings Laurence Cummings (born 1968, Birmingham) is a British harpsichordist, organist, and conductor. He is currently music director of the Academy of Ancient Music. Biography Cummings was educated at Solihull School, Christ Church, Oxford and th ...

, conductor. Release date 2011. Somm Recordings CD: SOMM2402 *With Mark Le Brocq tenor, James Rutherford bass, Miriam Allan soprano, David Allsopp countertenor. Hannoversche Hofkapelle, Maulbronner Kammerchor,

Jürgen Budday Jürgen Budday (born 1948 in Germany) is a German conductor, director of church music and music teacher. He is artistic director of the concert series at the UNESCO World Heritage Site Maulbronn Abbey, of the choir 'Maulbronner Kantorei' and of t ...

, conductor. Release date 2016. K&K CD:KuK253

References

11. Joshua HWV 64 Vocal Score; Edition Peters Edited by Andreas Schenck; CF Peters, Frankfurt

External links

Full-text Libretto

Full Vocal Score

IMSLP
Scores. {{Authority control Oratorios by George Frideric Handel 1747 compositions 1748 operas Oratorios based on the Bible Cultural depictions of Joshua