Oratorios by George Frideric Handel

Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno/ Il trionfo del Tempo e della Verità (1707) La Resurrezione (1708) Brockes-Passion (1715) Esther (1718, 1732) Acis and Galatea (1718) Deborah (1733) Athalia (1733) Alexander's Feast (1736) Saul (1738) Israel in Egypt (1738) L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato (1740) Messiah (1741) Samson (1741) Semele (1743) Joseph and his Brethren (1743) Hercules (1744) Belshazzar (1744) Occasional Oratorio (1746) Judas Maccabaeus (1746) Joshua (1747) Alexander Balus (1747) Susanna (1748) Solomon (1748) Theodora (1749) The Choice of Hercules (1750) Jephtha (1751) The Triumph of Time and Truth (1757) George Frideric Handel, 1733 George Frideric Handel (23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-born British Baroque composer who was a leading composer of concerti grossi, operas and oratorios. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... La Resurrezione is a sacred oratorio by George Frideric Handel, set to a libretto by Carlo Sigismondo Capece (1652-1728), court poet to Queen Maria Casimira of Poland, who was living in exile in Rome. ... The oratorio Esther by George Frideric Handel (HWV 50) is generally acknowledged to be the first English oratorio. ... Acis and Galatea is a pastoral opera or masque composed by George Frideric Handel while he was living in Cannons (the seat of James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos, during the summer of 1718, and later revised and expanded to three acts in 1732, to words by John Gay, Alexander... Deborah (HWV 51) is an oratorio by George Frideric Handel. ... Athalia (HWV 52) is an oratorio by George Frideric Handel, his third in this genre. ... Alexanders Feast is a choral work by George Frideric Handel first performed at Covent Garden Theatre, London on 19 February 1736. ... An oratorio in three acts written by George Frideric Handel with a libretto by Charles Jennens. ... Israel in Egypt (HWV 54) is a biblical oratorio by the composer George Frideric Handel. ... LAllegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato is a pastoral ode by George Frideric Handel based on the poetry of John Milton. ... Messiah (HWV 56), is an oratorio by George Frideric Handel based on a libretto by Charles Jennens. ... Hercules (HWV 60) is a music drama in three acts by George Frideric Handel. ... Belshazzar is an oratorio by George Frideric Handel. ... Theodora is the title of a dramatic oratorio by George Frideric Handel. ... Jephtha (HWV 70) is an oratorio (1751) by Handel with a libretto by the Rev. ...

Joseph (HWV 59) is an oratorio by George Frideric Handel in the summer of 1743. Joseph is composed on a libretto by Rev. James Miller. It received its premiere performance that following Lenten season on 2 March 1744 at the Covent Garden Theatre. The Händel-Werke-Verzeichnis (abbreviation HWV) is the Catalogue of Handels Works. ... An oratorio is a large musical composition for orchestra, vocal soloists and chorus. ... George Frideric Handel, 1733 George Frideric Handel (23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-born British Baroque composer who was a leading composer of concerti grossi, operas and oratorios. ... A libretto is the complete body of words used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, sacred or secular oratorio and cantata, musical, and ballet. ... In Western Christianity, Lent is the period preceding the Christian holy day of Easter. ...

The libretto is based on the Biblical story of Joseph found in Genesis chapters 38-45. The libretto is hard to read without background context because the audience of Handel's oratorios was very familiar with the stories of the Hewbrew Bible and would have known the whole story of Joseph as part of their cultural knowledge. Taking advantage of this, Miller tells the story in poetical form, leaving out events and background information which give it a fragmentary feel if read straight through. The Bible (From Greek βιβλια—biblia, meaning books, which in turn is derived from βυβλος—byblos meaning papyrus, from the ancient Phoenician city of Byblos which exported papyrus) is the sacred scripture of Christianity. ... Joseph interprets the dream of the Pharaoh. ... Genesis (Greek: Γένεσις, having the meanings of birth, creation, cause, beginning, source and origin) is the first book of the Torah (five books of Moses) and hence the first book of the Tanakh, part of the Hebrew Bible; it is also the first book of the Christian Old Testament. ... This Gutenberg Bible is displayed by the United States Library of Congress. ...

The story (but not the oratorio) begins when Joseph's eleven brothers, jealous that their father Jacob loved Joseph best of all of them, seize him and sell him into slavery, telling their father that he has been eaten by wild beasts. The slave traders took Joseph to Egypt, where he became a servant in the house of Potiphar, captain of Pharoh's guard. A good servant, Joseph eventually rose to be the head of the household servants. Potiphar's wife became attracted to Joseph and attempted to seduce him, but he rebuffed her. Because of this, she accused him of making advances on him and he was placed in jail. While in jail, Joseph interpreted the dreams of two of his prison-mates, both servants in Pharoh's household. One of them Phanor, promised to help free Joseph from prison when he was restored to his position in Pharoh's household, but forgot and several years pass. Jacob Wrestling with the Angel – Gustave Doré, 1855 Jacob or Yaakov, (Hebrew: יַעֲקֹב, Standard  Tiberian ; Arabic: يعقوب, ; holds the heel), also known as Israel (Hebrew: יִשְׂרָאֵל, Standard  Tiberian ; Arabic: اسرائيل, ; Struggled with God), is the third Biblical patriarch. ... Potiphar (or Potifar) (Hebrew: פּוֹטִיפַר / פּוֹטִיפָר, Standard  Tiberian  /  ; Egyptian origin:  ; the one whom Ra gave. ...

Act I opens with Joseph lamenting his lot in life, abandoned, in prison. Pharoh has been troubled by dreams which no one can interpret for him, and Phanor remembers Joseph and fetches him. Joseph comes before Pharoh and, calling on Jehovah, interprets Pharoh's dreams: He says that the dreams fortell of 7 years of plenty followed by 7 years of famine and that Pharoh should store food during the time of plenty for the time of famine. Meanwhile, Asenath, daughter of the high priest Potiphera, falls in love with the young Joseph. Pharoh rejoyces at Joseph's interpretations, makes him his prime minister to oversee the saving of food, names him "Zaphnath", and offers him Asenath's hand in marriage. According to the Book of Genesis, Asenath (אָסְנַת, Standard Hebrew Asənat, Modern Hebrew Osnat, Tiberian Hebrew ʼĀsənạṯ) was an Egyptian woman whom Pharaoh gave to Joseph son of Jacob to be his wife. ...

Now, before Act II begins, more biblical story needs to be inserted: After Joseph saves wisely during the seven years of plenty, the famine begins. Because Egypt is now well-positioned for food, people from afar come to purchase grain to replace their own failing crops. Among these are Joseph's brothers, who do not recognize him (although he recognizes them). He accuses them of being spies and orders them to leave one of them, Simeon, here in jail while they go home and return with their youngest brother Benjamin (who did not come the first time).

Act II begins a year later, with Simeon still languishing in jail and his fear and guilt over having betrayed Joseph wracking his brain. Joseph plays into the dramatic irony and manipulates Simeon to feel guilt for having abandoned Joseph. When his brothers return with Benjamin, they state their case again for the plight of their homeland in Canaan and he sells them grain and sends them on their way. Not mentioned in the libretto, Joseph arranges to have a silver cup of his hidden in Benjamin's things.

In Act III, Joseph has the Egyptian guards catch up to and sieze the brothers, bring them back, and accuses them of stealing the cup. Playing the guilt and drama to the hilt, he demands to keep Benjamin as a prisoner to test the brothers if they will abandon Benjamin as they did him all those years ago. The brothers plead for their fathers sake -- the heartbreak of losing another youngest son would kill him -- and Simeon offers himself in Benjamin's stead. Passing Joseph's test, he reveals himself as their long-lost brother. All sing praises to God and the country of Egypt which Joseph has so gloriously managed and Joseph and his brethren settle in this happy land.

Dramatis Personae

• Pharaoh, King of Egypt (bass)
• Joseph, an Hebrew (alto)
• Reuben, Brother to Joseph (bass)
• Simeon, Brother to Joseph (tenor)
• Judah, Brother to Joseph (tenor)
• Benjamin, Brother to Joseph (soprano)
• Potiphera, High Priest of On (alto)
• Asenath, Daughter to the High Priest (soprano)
• Phanor, Chief Butler to Pharaoh, afterwards Joseph's Steward (alto)
• Chorus of Egyptians
• Chorus of the Brethren
• Chorus of Hebrews

External Links

• Full-text of Miller's libretto hosted at Stanford University.
• Program Notes by Boston Cecilia.

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