Saturday, November 9, 2024 • 7:30 p.m.
First Free Methodist Church (3200 3rd Ave W, Seattle)
Harmonia Orchestra & Chorus
William White, conductor
Program
George Frideric Handel (1685–1759)
Zadok the Priest, HWV 258
George Frideric Handel
Dixit Dominus, HWV 232
— intermission —
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)
Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92
About the Concert
This program of beloved favorites presents two aspects of Handel’s art — the majestic and the groovy — side by side, followed by Beethoven’s Seventh, a work in which he captured the majesty and the grooviness of his favorite composer (Handel) in a symphony so compelling that it draws its listeners along as if they were reading a page-turning novel.
Plan to arrive early for a 6:30 p.m. pre-concert talk by William White.
Program Notes
Georg Frideric Handel
Zadok the Priest, HWV 258
Handel was born in Halle, Germany, on February 23, 1685, and died in London on April 14, 1759. He composed this anthem in September 1727 for the coronation of King George II on October 11 of that year. In addition to chorus, the work employs 2 oboes, 2 bassoons, 3 trumpets, timpani, organ and strings.
On February 20, 1727, the House of Lords passed legislation naturalizing the German composer Georg Frideric Handel. Shortly thereafter, King George I of England granted his assent and Handel became a British citizen. When George I died less than four months later, his son ascended to the throne as George II, postponing a formal coronation until October. Ordinarily, any new music for such a ceremony would have been the responsibility of the Organist and Composer of the Chapel Royal, but after that gentleman died on August 14, London newspapers reported in early September that “Mr Hendel, the famous Composer to the opera, is appointed by the King to compose the Anthem at the Coronation which is to be sung in Westminster Abbey at the Grand Ceremony.”
Handel actually composed four anthems for the occasion: Zadok the Priest, The King Shall Rejoice, Let Thy Hand Be Strengthened and My Heart is Inditing. For the text of Zadok the Priest, the composer drew upon I Kings 1:38–40. A hushed orchestral introduction sets the stage for one of Handel’s most glorious choral entrances, followed by lively dance-like music in 3/4 time before returning to 4/4 for a suitably regal conclusion. In the ultimate tribute to England’s greatest adopted composer, each subsequent coronation ceremony for a British monarch has included Zadok the Priest.