Hallelujah from Messiah
George Frideric Handel
Alternative embedded performance: Handel — Hallelujah Chorus, performed by the Royal Choral Society. The preferred recording remains linked on YouTube.
First listen
Listen once without writing. What do you notice?
Listen closely
1 TEXTUREDo the voices sing together, one after another, or both?
Sentence stemThe voices sing ___.
Vocabulary
- together
- one at a time
- in groups
2 DYNAMICSWhich parts sound loud and which sound quiet?
Sentence stemThis part sounds ___.
Vocabulary
- loud
- quiet
- louder
- softer
3 PITCHWhich voices sound high and which sound low?
Sentence stemThe ___ voices sound highest.
Vocabulary
- high
- low
- middle
4 RHYTHMIs the beat steady, quick or slow?
Sentence stemThe beat is ___.
Vocabulary
- steady
- quick
- slow
5 STRUCTUREWhat happens when the ‘Hallelujah’ idea returns?
Sentence stemWhen it returns, it sounds ___.
Vocabulary
- the same
- louder
- with more voices
How does this piece make you feel?
There is no right or wrong answer. Which words match your response?
calmexcitedhopefulcuriousjoyfulpowerfulpeacefultensedreamybravethoughtfulenergeticmysteriouscomfortedrestlessproudsadsurprisedupliftedfocused
Music through time
1741 · Baroque oratorio
- Medieval500–1400
- Baroque1600–1750
- Classical1750–1820
- Romantic1820–1900
- 20th century1900–2000
- Contemporary2000–present