Musical Motifs in Glory of the Lord
The Glory of the Lord by Handel has four motifs which are:
‘And the Glory the Glory of the Lord’ – This motif outlines the chord of A major, the tonic chord, and moves up the last three notes of the scale. This helps to establish the key. The word-setting is syllabic, one word to a syllable.
‘Shall be revealed’ – In this motif the second bar is a repeat of the first bar but a tone lower. The word ‘revealed’ is melismatic (several notes to one syllable).
‘For the mouth of the lord hath spoken it’ – In this motif the use of long notes, mostly at the same pitch helps to emphasise the words.
‘And all flesh shall see it together’ - The same five-note figured is repeated in this motif. This is also a descending 4th.
Handel varies the harmony and tonality in Glory of the Lord lots with lots of key changes in a relatively short piece. The piece begins at A major, the tonic of the piece, then moves to E major, the dominant, then back to A major. The piece then moves to B major, the secondary dominant or supertonic major, before returning to E major and then finally to A major. The piece also has a plagal cadence (IV – I) for the Amen at the end.
The piece is in 3/4 time which is dance like and joyfull which complements the allegro (quickly) time marking however the ending has a general pause and changes to adagio(slow and stately) to create a greater effect.
In Glory of the Lord, the texture alternates between homophonic, polyphonic and monophonic. Motifs are often combined to create a complex texture. Another technique used is different combinations of voices eg. Bars 108-110 were the sopranos are on their own so that their highest note stands out.
Finally in Glory of the Lord there is a string orchestra, basso continuo: cello and chamber
‘And the Glory the Glory of the Lord’ – This motif outlines the chord of A major, the tonic chord, and moves up the last three notes of the scale. This helps to establish the key. The word-setting is syllabic, one word to a syllable.
‘Shall be revealed’ – In this motif the second bar is a repeat of the first bar but a tone lower. The word ‘revealed’ is melismatic (several notes to one syllable).
‘For the mouth of the lord hath spoken it’ – In this motif the use of long notes, mostly at the same pitch helps to emphasise the words.
‘And all flesh shall see it together’ - The same five-note figured is repeated in this motif. This is also a descending 4th.
Handel varies the harmony and tonality in Glory of the Lord lots with lots of key changes in a relatively short piece. The piece begins at A major, the tonic of the piece, then moves to E major, the dominant, then back to A major. The piece then moves to B major, the secondary dominant or supertonic major, before returning to E major and then finally to A major. The piece also has a plagal cadence (IV – I) for the Amen at the end.
The piece is in 3/4 time which is dance like and joyfull which complements the allegro (quickly) time marking however the ending has a general pause and changes to adagio(slow and stately) to create a greater effect.
In Glory of the Lord, the texture alternates between homophonic, polyphonic and monophonic. Motifs are often combined to create a complex texture. Another technique used is different combinations of voices eg. Bars 108-110 were the sopranos are on their own so that their highest note stands out.
Finally in Glory of the Lord there is a string orchestra, basso continuo: cello and chamber