The ( HWV 280) is a

canticle A canticle (from the Latin ''canticulum'', a diminutive of ''canticum'', "song") is a hymn, psalm or other Christian song of praise with lyrics usually taken from biblical or holy texts. Canticles are used in Christian liturgy. Catholic Church ...

Te Deum The "Te Deum" (, ; from its incipit, , ) is a Latin Christian hymn traditionally ascribed to AD 387 authorship, but with antecedents that place it much earlier. It is central to the Ambrosian hymnal, which spread throughout the Latin Ch ...

D major D major (or the key of D) is a major scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature has two sharps. Its relative minor is B minor and its parallel minor is D minor. The D major scale is: : Ch ...

composed by George Frideric Handel in 1714.

Background

When Queen Anne died in 1714, her second cousin the

Elector of Hanover The Electorate of Hanover (german: Kurfürstentum Hannover or simply ''Kurhannover'') was an electorate of the Holy Roman Empire, located in northwestern Germany and taking its name from the capital city of Hanover. It was formally known as ...

became

King of Great Britain The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional form of government by which a hereditary sovereign reigns as the head of state of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies (the Bailiwi ...

George I George I or 1 may refer to: People * Patriarch George I of Alexandria (fl. 621–631) * George I of Constantinople (d. 686) * George I of Antioch (d. 790) * George I of Abkhazia (ruled 872/3–878/9) * George I of Georgia (d. 1027) * Yuri Dolgor ...

. His daughter-in-law Caroline of Ansbach thus became Princess of Wales. Caroline left Hanover and traveled to Britain, making the only sea voyage she ever took in her life, and arrived at

Margate Margate is a seaside town on the north coast of Kent in south-east England. The town is estimated to be 1.5 miles long, north-east of Canterbury and includes Cliftonville, Garlinge, Palm Bay and Westbrook. The town has been a significan ...

in September 1714. Her safe arrival was celebrated by the composition of this Te Deum by Handel, who had been resident in London since 1712 and had composed a number of pieces for royal occasions. The Te Deum was performed in the Chapel Royal of St. James's Palace in that same month, on the 26th, and again on 17 October. Since Caroline later became Queen as consort of

George II George II or 2 may refer to: People * George II of Antioch (seventh century AD) * George II of Armenia (late ninth century) * George II of Abkhazia (916–960) * Patriarch George II of Alexandria (1021–1051) * George II of Georgia (1072–1089) ...

, the Te Deum composed to give thanks for her safe arrival in Britain became known as the "Queen Caroline" Te Deum. George I attended the performance of the Te Deum and subsequently doubled Handel's "pension", or salary, he had been granted by Queen Anne of two hundred pounds a year for life to four hundred.

Text and Structure

The work calls for six solo vocalists, chorus and instrumental ensemble including trumpet. ''(Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra)'' :We praise thee, O Lord, :We acknowledge thee to be the Lord. :All the earth doth worship thee, :The Father everlasting. :To thee the angels cry aloud, :The heavens and all the powers therein. :To thee Cherubin and Seraphim continually cry: :Holy, holy, holy! Lord God of Sabaoth, :Heaven and earth are full of the majesty of thy glory. ''(Tenor solo with orchestra, followed by chorus with orchestra, then bass soloist with orchestra)'' :The glorious company of the Apostles praise thee, :The goodly fellowship of the Prophets praise thee, :The holy church throughout all the world :Doth acknowledge thee, :The Father of an infinite majesty, :Thine honourable, true and only son, :Also the Holy Ghost the Comforter. :Thou art the King of Glory, O Christ, :Thou art the Everlasting Son of the Father. ''(Alto solo with solo

recorder Recorder or The Recorder may refer to: Newspapers * ''Indianapolis Recorder'', a weekly newspaper * ''The Recorder'' (Massachusetts newspaper), a daily newspaper published in Greenfield, Massachusetts, US * ''The Recorder'' (Port Pirie), a news ...

and orchestra, joined by chorus)'' :When thou tookest upon thee to deliver man, :Thou didst not shun the Virgin's womb. :When thou had'st overcome the sharpness of death, :Thou did'st open the Kingdom of Heaven to all believers. :Thou sittest at the right hand of God :In the glory of the Father. :We believe that thou shalt come to be our Judge. :We therefore pray thee help our servants, :Whom thou has redeemed with thy precious blood. :Make them to be number'd with thy Saints in glory everlasting :O Lord, save thy people and bless thy heritage, :Govern them and lift them up forever. ''(Soloists, chorus, solo trumpet and orchestra)'' :Day by day we magnify thee, :And we worship thy name for ever, world without end. ''(Alto solo with orchestra)'' :Vouchsafe, O Lord, to keep us this day without sin, :O Lord, have mercy upon us, :O Lord, let thy mercy lighten upon us :As our trust is in thee. ''(Chorus with solo trumpet and orchestra)'' :O Lord, in thee have I trusted, :Let me never be confounded.

Musical style

Handel, a recent emigrant to Britain from Germany, studied the works of Henry Purcell in learning how to set English words to music. The section beginning "Vouchsafe, O Lord", shows a particular influence of Purcell, but the piece also includes the operatic style Handel used in the theatre, for instance in the alto aria with recorder, "When thou tookest upon thee."

Recordings

* James Bowman (countertenor),

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), Michael George (bass), New College Choir Oxford,

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 ...

, Robert King (conductor).

Hyperion Records Hyperion Records is an independent British classical record label. History Hyperion is an independent British classical label that was established in 1980 with the goal of showcasing recordings of music in all genres and from all time period ...

CDA66315. Released 1989. *Graham Pushee (countertenor), Harry Van Berne (tenor),

Harry van der Kamp Harry van der Kamp (born 1947 in Kampen) is a Dutch bass singer in opera and concert. Mostly active in Historically informed performance, he founded the Gesualdo Ensemble. He is also an academic voice teacher. Singing career Born in Kampen, va ...

(bass), Alsfelder Vokalensemble, Bremen Baroque Orchestra,

Wolfgang Helbich Wolfgang Helbich (8 April 1943 – 8 April 2013) was a German church musician, a choral conductor and academic. He was the founder of the Alsfelder Vokalensemble and served as their conductor for decades, a group that toured internationally and re ...

conductor. Cpo Records 761203924424. Released 1995.

External links

References

{{Authority control Compositions by George Frideric Handel Psalm settings 1714 compositions Handel Caroline of Ansbach