Ode for St Cecilia's Day

Written in 1739, the Ode for St. Cecilia’s Day is a cantata based on a poem by John Dryden, one of the deans of 17th-century English literature. The figure of Cecilia, patron saint of music and musicians, inspired many composers from Purcell and Charpentier to Gounod and Britten. Dryden’s poem unfolds across twelve movements that include solo arias, recitative, choruses, and two instrumental numbers. Listeners will be able to predict the general tone and key instrumentation of the tenor aria titled “The trumpets loud clangour.” But the ethos of “What passions…” strikes a very different tone. Initially scored for just soprano, solo cello, and continuo, the extensive cello introduction pays homage to the gamba works of Marin Marais; and during the long cadenza, echoes of Bach’s G-major cello suite will likely come to mind. Handel continues to feature the cello even into the soprano’s material.
The later aria, “Orpheus could lead the savage race,” also for soprano, takes just two minutes to deliver its message. This minor-mode movement is taut and Italianate in style, with brilliant string writing and acrobatic vocal line. We close our selections with the final Grand Chorus led by soprano solo. At the start it sounds much like a Lutheran chorale: The unaccompanied soprano voice delivers text in short phrases, punctuated by forceful reminders from the full chorus. A dramatic trumpet call signals the end of the opening section, and we proceed with a new theme in traditional imitative counterpoint. As he had earlier, Handel relies on textural changes—such as closing the movement with magisterial pomp, complete with timpani and brass fanfares—to invigorate the excessively repetitive text and create a palpable sense of awe.

(c) Jason Stell