Structure of Handel's Messiah

Structure of Handel's Messiah - Quiz

1. How many major systems of numbering the movements of Messiah are mentioned in the text?

A) One
B) Three
C) Four
D) Two

2. Which historic edition from 1959 is based on earlier editions and contains 53 movements?

A) Novello edition
B) Hallische Händel-Ausgabe
C) Handel edition
D) Bärenreiter edition

3. Which edition from 1965 in the Hallische Händel-Ausgabe contains 47 movements (not counting some short recitatives)?

A) Historic edition
B) Revised edition
C) Bärenreiter edition
D) Novello edition

4. How many movements does the Novello edition contain according to the text?

A) 50
B) 47
C) 53
D) 55

5. How many movements does the Bärenreiter edition contain, not counting some short recitatives as separate movements?

A) 47
B) 53
C) 40
D) 60

6. Which types of short sections are excluded when counting the 47 movements in the Bärenreiter edition?

A) Recitatives
B) Choruses
C) Arias
D) Sinfonias

7. What is the abbreviation used in the text for the Novello edition?

A) Hnd
B) Nov
C) Hun
D) Bär

8. What is the abbreviation used in the text for the Bärenreiter edition?

A) Nov
B) Bär
C) Hrt
D) Bat

9. How many parts of the work are explicitly listed with headers in the text structure?

A) Three
B) Two
C) Five
D) Four

10. How many times did Handel revise the work for specific performances according to the text?

A) Several times
B) Never
C) Exclusively twice
D) Only once

11. Where are the Novello numbers placed when referring to alternative movements?

A) In parentheses
B) In brackets
C) In footnotes
D) In bold

12. In what year was the Novello edition published?

A) 1800
B) 1959
C) 1965
D) 1742

13. In what year was the Bärenreiter edition published?

A) 1965
B) 1959
C) 1750
D) 1975

14. What is the German name of the publication series that includes the Bärenreiter edition?

A) Hallische Händel-Ausgabe
B) Novello Ausgabe
C) Messiah Ausgabe
D) Händel Werke

15. What are the general notes organized by in the text?

A) Musical keys
B) Composer dates
C) Movement numbers
D) Voice types

16. Which part follows Part I and precedes Part III in the text's section headers?

A) Overture
B) Appendix
C) Part II
D) Part IV

17. Who composed the oratorio Messiah (HWV 56)?

A) Luke
B) Isaiah
C) George Frideric Handel
D) Charles Jennens

18. In what year was Messiah composed?

A) 1750
B) 1745
C) 1741
D) 1740

19. Who wrote the libretto for Messiah?

A) Charles Jennens
B) George Frideric Handel
C) King James
D) The prophet Isaiah

20. Most of the libretto is drawn from which biblical source?

A) The Apocrypha
B) The Book of Mormon
C) The Quran
D) The Old Testament of the King James Bible

21. Where were several psalms in the libretto taken from?

A) The Book of Isaiah
B) The Gospel of Luke
C) The Book of Psalms exclusively
D) The Book of Common Prayer

22. What does Messiah lack that is typically found in Handel's other oratorios?

A) Biblical references
B) Musical instruments
C) An encompassing narrative and named characters
D) A chorus

23. Why might Messiah not contain named characters?

A) Due to a lack of time
B) Because Charles Jennens forgot them
C) Because there were no singers available
D) To avoid charges of blasphemy

24. How is the narration of the story carried on in Messiah?

A) By implication
B) Through dramatic acting
C) Through direct dialogue
D) Via a narrator on stage

25. What liturgical period does Part I of the oratorio correspond with?

A) Lent, Easter, the Ascension, and Pentecost
B) The end of the church year
C) Advent, Christmas, and the life of Jesus
D) Ordinary Time

26. What liturgical period does Part II of the oratorio correspond with?

A) Lent, Easter, the Ascension, and Pentecost
B) Epiphany
C) Advent, Christmas, and the life of Jesus
D) The end of the church year

27. What does Part III of the oratorio deal with?

A) The birth of Jesus
B) The life of the shepherds
C) The crucifixion
D) The end of time

28. Whose words are used to tell the birth and death of Jesus?

A) The prophet Isaiah
B) The Gospel of Luke
C) King James
D) Charles Jennens

29. What is the only true 'scene' of the oratorio?

A) The resurrection
B) The annunciation to the shepherds
C) The crucifixion
D) The day of judgment

30. From which Gospel is the scene of the annunciation to the shepherds taken?

A) The Gospel of Mark
B) The Gospel of John
C) The Gospel of Matthew
D) The Gospel of Luke

31. Which animal imagery features prominently in many movements of Messiah?

A) Eagle and dove
B) Shepherd and lamb
C) Lion and bear
D) Ox and ass

32. Which extended piece is the only one to talk about the Messiah on earth?

A) "All we like sheep"
B) "He shall feed His flock like a shepherd"
C) "Behold the Lamb of God"
D) "Worthy is the Lamb"

33. Which movement opens Part II of the oratorio?

A) "Worthy is the Lamb"
B) "Behold the Lamb of God"
C) "He shall feed His flock like a shepherd"
D) "All we like sheep"

34. What is the theme of Scene 1 in Part I?

A) "Christ's redemptive miracles on earth"
B) "God's triumph"
C) "The prophecy of the Virgin Birth"
D) "Isaiah's prophecy of salvation"

35. What is the theme of Scene 3 in Part I?

A) "Isaiah's prophecy of salvation"
B) "His ascension"
C) "The prophecy of the Virgin Birth"
D) "The appearance of the Angels to the Shepherds"

36. Which movements comprise Scene 3 of Part I?

A) Movements 13–17
B) Movements 8–12
C) Movements 18–21
D) Movements 2–4

37. What is the theme of Scene 4 in Part I?

A) "The Day of Judgment and general Resurrection"
B) "Christ's redemptive miracles on earth"
C) "The appearance of the Angels to the Shepherds"
D) "The redemptive sacrifice, the scourging and the agony on the cross"

38. Which movements comprise Scene 4 of Part I?

A) Movements 18–21
B) Movements 13–17
C) Movements 22–30
D) Movements 8–12

39. What is the theme of Scene 5 in Part I?

A) "Christ's redemptive miracles on earth"
B) "Whitsun, the gift of tongues, the beginning of evangelism"
C) "The victory over death and sin"
D) "His sacrificial death, His passage through Hell and Resurrection"

40. Which movements comprise Scene 5 of Part I?

A) Movements 13–17
B) Movements 34–35
C) Movements 18–21
D) Movements 22–30

41. What is the overarching description given for Part I?

A) "The prophecy and realisation of God's plan to redeem mankind by the coming of the Messiah"
B) "The world and its rulers reject the Gospel"
C) "The accomplishment of redemption by the sacrifice of Christ..."
D) "A Hymn of Thanksgiving for the final overthrow of Death"

42. What is the overarching description given for Part II?

A) "The prophecy and realisation of God's plan to redeem mankind..."
B) "A Hymn of Thanksgiving for the final overthrow of Death"
C) "The accomplishment of redemption by the sacrifice of Christ, mankind's rejection of God's offer, and mankind's utter defeat when trying to oppose the power of the Almighty"
D) "Isaiah's prophecy of salvation"

43. What is the overarching description given for Part III?

A) "God discloses his identity in Heaven"
B) "The accomplishment of redemption by the sacrifice of Christ..."
C) "A Hymn of Thanksgiving for the final overthrow of Death"
D) "The prophecy and realisation of God's plan..."

44. What is the theme of Scene 1 in Part II?

A) "His ascension"
B) "The redemptive sacrifice, the scourging and the agony on the cross"
C) "His sacrificial death, His passage through Hell and Resurrection"
D) "God's triumph"

45. Which movements comprise Scene 1 of Part II?

A) Movements 36–39
B) Movements 22–30
C) Movements 31–32
D) Movements 40–41

46. What is the theme of Scene 2 in Part II?

A) "His sacrificial death, His passage through Hell and Resurrection"
B) "The redemptive sacrifice, the scourging and the agony on the cross"
C) "God discloses his identity in Heaven"
D) "The world and its rulers reject the Gospel"

47. Which movements comprise Scene 2 of Part II?

A) Movements 22–30
B) Movements 42–44
C) Movements 31–32
D) Movements 33–35

48. Which movements comprise Scene 4 of Part II?

A) Movements 31–32
B) Movements 36–39
C) Movements 34–35
D) Movements 40–41

49. What is the theme of Scene 5 in Part II?

A) "God's triumph"
B) "Whitsun, the gift of tongues, the beginning of evangelism"
C) "Isaiah's prophecy of salvation"
D) "The world and its rulers reject the Gospel"

50. Which movements comprise Scene 5 of Part II?

A) Movements 42–44
B) Movements 36–39
C) Movements 40–41
D) Movements 22–30

51. What is the theme of Scene 6 in Part II?

A) "His ascension"
B) "Whitsun, the gift of tongues, the beginning of evangelism"
C) "God's triumph"
D) "The world and its rulers reject the Gospel"

52. Which movements comprise Scene 6 of Part II?

A) Movements 40–41
B) Movements 47–48
C) Movements 42–44
D) Movements 36–39

53. What is the theme of Scene 7 in Part II?

A) "The world and its rulers reject the Gospel"
B) "God's triumph"
C) "His sacrificial death, His passage through Hell and Resurrection"
D) "The Day of Judgment and general Resurrection"

54. Which movements comprise Scene 7 of Part II?

A) Movements 42–44
B) Movements 40–41
C) Movements 49–52
D) Movements 45–46

55. What is the theme of Scene 1 in Part III?

A) "The promise of bodily resurrection and redemption from Adam's fall"
B) "The victory over death and sin"
C) "The glorification of the Messianic victim"
D) "The Day of Judgment and general Resurrection"

56. Which movements comprise Scene 1 of Part III?

A) Movements 42–44
B) Movements 49–52
C) Movements 47–48
D) Movements 45–46

57. What is the theme of Scene 2 in Part III?

A) "The promise of bodily resurrection and redemption from Adam's fall"
B) "Isaiah's prophecy of salvation"
C) "The Day of Judgment and general Resurrection"
D) "The victory over death and sin"

58. What is the theme of Scene 3 in Part III?

A) "The glorification of the Messianic victim"
B) "The victory over death and sin"
C) "The promise of bodily resurrection and redemption from Adam's fall"
D) "God's triumph"

59. Which movements comprise Scene 3 of Part III?

A) Movements 47–48
B) Movements 22–30
C) Movements 49–52
D) Movements 45–46

60. What did Charles Jennens say about the subject of Messiah?

A) "The text is entirely from the Book of Common Prayer."
B) "It is a drama of personalities."
C) "It is merely a musical experiment."
D) "...the Subject excells every other Subject. The Subject is Messiah ..."

61. In which city was Handel when he composed Messiah?

A) Dublin
B) London
C) Rome
D) Paris

62. What type of works had Handel successfully composed in London before Messiah?

A) German symphonies
B) Italian operas
C) Spanish zarzuelas
D) French ballets

63. How is the orchestra scoring for Messiah described?

A) Simple
B) Extremely massive
C) Brass-heavy
D) Percussion-focused

64. Why might Handel have been uncertain about woodwind players for the Dublin premiere?

A) Their high financial cost
B) Their lack of skill
C) Their availability
D) Their tuning systems

65. Which closing movement of Part II is highlighted by trumpets and timpani?

A) Worthy is the Lamb
B) Glory to God in the highest
C) The Pifa
D) Hallelujah

66. What title was used for the overture in Handel's autograph?

A) Sonata
B) Prelude
C) Overtura
D) Sinfony

67. What alternative names are used for arias in Messiah?

A) Cantatas or Ballads
B) Motets or Anthems
C) Airs or Songs
D) Chorales or Hymns

68. In what form are some of the arias written?

A) Da capo form
B) Theme and variations
C) Sonata-allegro form
D) Strophic form

69. Which other composer chose the same biblical passage about resurrection for a major work?

A) Brahms
B) Mozart
C) Beethoven
D) Bach

70. What work by Brahms shares the biblical passage used in Part III of Messiah?

A) Ein deutsches Requiem
B) A German Requiem in English translation
C) Schicksalslied
D) Alto Rhapsody

71. How often is the chorus divided into an upper and lower chorus?

A) Throughout all of Part I
B) In every movement
C) Only once
D) Never

72. What is the standard choral voicing used in Messiah besides the single divided instance?

A) SSAATTBB
B) SSAA
C) TTBB
D) SATB

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