Samson is an oratorio by George Frideric Handel. It was based on a libretto by Newburgh Hamilton, who based on Milton's Samson Agonistes, which in turn was based on the historical figure Samson in sixteenth chapter of the Book of Judges. Samson is considered one of Handel's finest dramatic works.
The premiere was given in London on February 21, 1743. It was a great success, leading to a total of seven performances in its first season, the most in a single season of any of his oratorios. Samson retained its popularity throughout Handel's lifetime and has never fallen entirely out of favor since.
Samson is usually given as an oratorio in concert-form but upon occasion it has also been staged as an opera.
External links
Notes on Samson (http://www.cybercom.net/~cecilia/notes/samson.html)
G.F.Haendel, Oratory SAMSON (2CDs,DDD), A Concertrecording in english with S.Pratschke, M.Chance, M.LeBrocq, R.Nolte, D.Thomas, Maulbronner Kammerchor, Baroqueorchestra, Conductor Juergen Budday, K&K Verlagsanstalt Edition Monastery Maulbronn George Frideric Handel SAMSON An oratorio in three movements A concert recording from the convent church in Maulbronn (1999) in english and performed in a historical setting.
The work starts one year after the capture and blinding of Samson, when the priests of the pagan god Dagon are celebrating their greatest triumph.
In his last struggle Samson, accompained by his father Manoah and his friend Micah, has to stand the temptations of the seductress Dalila and the giant Harapha, which are both followers of god Dagon and his priests.
As at present understood, an Oratorio is a musical composition for solo voices, chorus, orchestra, and organ, to a religious text generally taken from Holy Scripture.
Although the name oratorio was not applied to the new form until sixty years later (Andrea Bontempi, 1624-1705), there is an unbroken tradition connecting the exercises established by St. Philip with the period when the new art-form received its definite character.
The "Samson and Delilah" of Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-) may be performed either as an oratorio or as an opera; as opera it has attained the greater favour.
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