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MS08 · Show · Messiah

The People That Walked in Darkness

Darkness covers the earth: the house sinks to its deepest blue-black, one dim light wanders the roofline feeling its way, and on "a great light" Porch Front opens.

1:22 · with a spoken intro

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Messiah

MS01SinfonyIntro1:28The overture: the Grave's heavy dotted pulses roll along the house in deep blue, then the fugue's four voices enter one run at a time, each string part its own light.MS02Comfort YeIntro1:21The tenor's warm white light alone on Porch Front, opening a little wider with each "comfort ye"; then "the voice of him that crieth in the wilderness", and the light finds the road.MS03Ev'ry ValleyIntro1:28The roofline as a landscape of bright hills and dark valleys. The tenor sings, and the porch valley rises behind his voice, the hills sink, the crooked land straightens, until the house is one level light.MS04And the Glory of the LordIntro1:27The first chorus: glory rises white-gold on Porch Front and spreads out run by run, each voice of the choir lighting its own part of the house, until the whole house shines on "hath spoken it".MS05But Who May AbideIntro1:27"I will shake the heavens": the bass's amber makes the house tremble. Then the alto's calm rose light alternates with the refiner's fire, white-hot and fast, sparks thrown off along the roofline.MS06And He Shall PurifyIntro1:22The chorus's running semiquavers race along the roofline as fine bright lines, burning off the dark impurities in sparks, until the whole house shines clean gold.MS07O Thou That TellestIntro1:20The alto's rose light tells good tidings in a gentle lilt; on every "arise, shine" the house brightens another step, and the chorus joins in white-gold.MS08The People That Walked in DarknessIntro1:22Darkness covers the earth: the house sinks to its deepest blue-black, one dim light wanders the roofline feeling its way, and on "a great light" Porch Front opens.MS09For Unto Us a Child Is BornIntro1:20Light running figures for "unto us a Child is born", then the five great names, each a full blaze on its own run, Wonderful on Left round to the Prince of Peace on Right, and the same runs answer every time the names return.MS10PifaIntro1:27The Pastoral Symphony: night fields on Left and Right, small soft lanterns swaying to the siciliano, and a low warm drone glowing on the porch.MS11There Were ShepherdsIntro1:12Shepherds' lanterns in the night fields on the wings; the angel's silver climbs the porch with the strings' rising figures, the glory of the Lord pours over the fields, and the angel says: fear not.MS12Glory to GodIntro1:22A multitude of the heavenly host: silver multiplies across the house, the trumpets sound for the first time from the far porch in bright gold, and peace on earth glows warm on the fields.MS13Rejoice GreatlyIntro1:18The soprano's coloratura as quick silver runs racing along the roofline, the violins throwing gold sparkles, four bursts of silver on "shout", and the house landing in full gold.MS14He Shall Feed His FlockIntro1:28Slow, wide, warm waves roll in toward the porch to the siciliano, and the house's lights gather there like a flock: first to the alto's rose, then around the soprano's silver, "Come unto Him".MS15HallelujahIntro1:26The finale: full-house bursts on every Hallelujah, the unison "For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth" as one steady line, the sopranos' King of Kings climbing round the house run by run, and after Handel's grand pause the last chord in full warm gold.MS16IntermissionIntermission5:00The house waits in night blue under a small star over the porch, and warm gold fills it from both wings over five minutes, until the gold meets under the star and Messiah begins again.

About this scene

The house goes as dark as it can, one dim light wanders, and Porch Front opens.

"For behold, darkness shall cover the earth." Under the strings' trembling figures the house sinks, run by run, into a blue-black bed, the deepest it can hold without going out; the bass's deep amber voice speaks from the back of the porch and grows fainter with it. "And gross darkness the people": the last warmth drains away.

Then the air, which Handel writes with all the strings in unison with the singer, wandering, as if feeling its way. On the house it is one dim amber point of light, alone in the dark, wandering the roofline: every note moves it, up the line when the tune climbs and back when it falls, never settling, never finding the way. Each time the voice says "darkness" the point shrinks.

"Have seen a great light": on the first "light" a glow opens in the middle of Porch Front, the far light at the back of the scene, and on the second, forte, the whole of Porch Front opens in white-gold, spilling down the porch runs. The wandering point turns toward it, and the scene holds there: the house still dark, the far light open.

The music is Handel's own: Messiah No. 10, the strings' first two bars and the recitative from "For behold" to "and gross darkness the people", and No. 11 from its upbeat to the first "have seen a great light", transcribed from Prout's full score (Novello, 1902) into darkness.musicxml (No. 11 numbered on from No. 10) and timed by scripts/score_excerpt.py, the recitative a little quicker than Prout's mark. Strings only, as Handel scored them; the bass's line on cellos and a bassoon, and in the air the strings in unison with it.

For your own show

Short, bright pieces meant to be watched. The FSEQ (v2, zstd, 40 fps) plays in Falcon Player on a house with the same layout; see About for how it is made.

.fseq · 0.1 MB.mp3

Its spoken intro, to schedule before it: .fseq · .mp3