G. F. Handel’s “Messiah” and “…A Soulful Celebration” by Q. Jones: pushing the boundaries of epochs
Abstract
The article examines the gospel album “Handel’s Messiah: A Soulful Celebration” (prod. by Quincy Jones, 1992), which is a remake of the great oratorio by G. F. Handel in the tradition of African American music. The figurative, meaningful and artistic aspects of the “Messiah” are indicated, which turned out to be close to modern musicians, carriers of the gospel tradition; the peculiarities of their treatment of the music of the oratorio are revealed. A comparative analysis of the original and the gospel version reveals the following features of working with the Handel text: the choice of numbers in accordance with the intention of the creators of the album, the predominance of solemn, hymnal sounds; preservation of the contour of themes in many selected numbers of the oratorio with further variation in the African-American style; strengthening the rhythmic beginning; changing the performing composition in many compositions of the album; performance-improvisation of numbers in a characteristic, non-academic manner, which emphasizes the emotional expressiveness of the word. The authors of the study defines the role of the gospel version of the oratorio in popularizing G. F. Handel’s work, in shaping the musical taste of a modern audience.
About the Authors
E. A. Gurina
M. I. Glinka Novosibirsk State Conservatory
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Elizaveta A. Gurina, student of 2nd year of the Faculty of Theory and Composition
630520, Novosibirsk
Y. V. Antipova
M. I. Glinka Novosibirsk State Conservatory
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Yuliya V. Antipova, Cand. Sc. (Art Criticism), Associate Professor of Department Music History
630520, Novosibirsk
References
1. Gruber, R.I. (1935), Gandel’. Zhizn’ i tvorchestvo [Handel. Life and Works], Nauch.-issl. in-t iskusstvoznanija, Leningrad, 125 p. (In Russ.)
2. Konen, V.D. (1994), Tretii plast. Novye massovye zhanry v muzyke XX v. [The Third Layer. New Mass Genres in Music of the 20th Century], Muzyka, Moscow, 157 p. (In Russ.)
3. Lipatov A. (2019), “Gospel music, music of faith and joy”, Available at: https://www.salonav.com/arch/2019/08/gospel-muzykavery-i-radosti.htm (Accessed 31 March 2025). (In Russ.)
4. Meshcherinov, V.A. (Igumen Petr) (2014), “Handel: a musician and a man”, Available at: https://igpetr.ru/gendel-muzykant-ichelovek/ (Accessed 31 March 2025). (In Russ.)
5. Smirnov, A. V. (2020) “At the origins of Russian Handeliana”, The Art of Music: Theory and History, no. 22–23, pp. 9–31. (In Russ.)
6. Zucker, A.M. (1999) “The Baroque Model in Contemporary Mass Music”, Art of the 20th Century: Dialogue of Epochs and Generations, Vol. II, pp. 180–191. (In Russ.)
7. Deutsch, O. E. (1955), Handel: A Documentary Biography, A. and C. Black, 942 p. (In Eng.)
8. Hallejuah! Chicago Tribune, Available at: https://www.chicagotribune.com/1992/12/24/hallelujah-9/ (Accessed 31 March 2025). (In Eng.)
9. Meyer, M. (1992), The soul of Handel’s “Messiah”. The Washington Post. Available at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/style/1992/11/29/the-soul-of-handels-messiah/b405e57c-0be0-4c33-9c06-a94e7eaa7201/ (Accessed 31 March 2025). (In Eng.)
10. Pales, C. (1992), Hallelujah! A Moving, Modern “Messiah”: Album Featuring Pop and Gospel Stars Has More Heart and Soul Than Many Traditional Versions. Los Angeles Times. Available at: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-12-23-ca-2301-story.html (Accessed 31 March 2025). (In Eng.)
Review
For citations:
Gurina E.A., Antipova Y.V. G. F. Handel’s “Messiah” and “…A Soulful Celebration” by Q. Jones: pushing the boundaries of epochs. ARTE. 2025;(2):95-105. (In Russ.)
Views:
21
Email this article 