Yes Rod, they can't hold a candle to Handel when it comes to handling English to music !
-
Yes Rod, they can't hold a candle to Handel when it comes to handling English to music ! -
One example is replete throughout Messiah. The use of emphasis on the "ed" in past tense verbs which in spoken English is silent.Originally posted by Rod:
Speaking as one of the few genuine Englishmen left in London, and having recordings of all of Handel's English language productions, I feel qualified to totally contradict your remark. I suppose you would say Bach would have been a natural had he wrote any English pieces? Either way I would be interested if you could provide an example of a superior treatment of the English language by a composer. Gilbert and Sullivan perhaps?!
Perhaps you are confusing awkward sylables with awkward singers, of which there are many in this field? If not, please name me these at best awkard sylables, followed by the totally wrong sylables.
Comment
-
Hey that rhymes!Originally posted by robert newman:
Yes Rod, they can't hold a candle to Handel when it comes to handling English to music !
------------------
'Truth and beauty joined''Truth and beauty joined'Comment
-
Yes, Joy, so it does !
How are you these days Joy ? Well, I hope.
Comment
-
Originally posted by Sorrano:
One example is replete throughout Messiah. The use of emphasis on the "ed" in past tense verbs which in spoken English is silent.
This is musical licence, a deliberate effect. Thus it is not an error, if you don't like it fair enough, but every number in Messiah is a 'hit'. Some other composers had less hits from their entire output than Handel produced in Part1 alone!
------------------
"If I were but of noble birth..." - Rod CorkinComment
-
Hi Sorrano. It was usual at that time to emphasise the "ed" in past tense verbs when the word ended the sentence, as it was deemed to be coarse to end a phrase by singing (or even saying, eg. Shakespeare) the part-syllable "shd". It can sound as ugly as it looks. This same phonetic device is also prevalent in contemporary carols, poems, nursery rhymes, etc.Originally posted by Sorrano:
One example is replete throughout Messiah. The use of emphasis on the "ed" in past tense verbs which in spoken English is silent.
Comment
-
It can but it doesn't have to. People these days just don't know about how to sing music from this era, Old English especially. If anyone wants a good recommendation for Messiah, get the CD by Pinnock on the Archiv lable (I think it has just been re-released with remastering). This is a superb recording, the others are rubbish from what I have heard.Originally posted by PDG:
It can sound as ugly as it looks. This same phonetic device is also prevalent in contemporary carols, poems, nursery rhymes, etc.
------------------
"If I were but of noble birth..." - Rod Corkin
[This message has been edited by Rod (edited 08-21-2006).]Comment
-
No! I meant the shortened words can sound ugly compared to their elongated versions. Such as (when sung) "finished" (imprecise two-and-a-half syllables) does not sound as good or scan as well as "finish-ed" (precisely three syllables).Comment
-
Oh sorry, yes I agree.Originally posted by PDG:
No! I meant the shortened words can sound ugly compared to their elongated versions. Such as (when sung) "finished" (imprecise two-and-a-half syllables) does not sound as good or scan as well as "finish-ed" (precisely three syllables).
------------------
"If I were but of noble birth..." - Rod CorkinComment
-
I guess that means I am fin-ish-ed here.Comment
-
Ha! Ha!Originally posted by Sorrano:
I guess that means I am fin-ish-ed here.
------------------
'Truth and beauty joined''Truth and beauty joined'Comment
Comment