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MS15 · Show · Messiah

Hallelujah

The 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.

1:26 · 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 set's finale, the whole house answering the chorus, the sopranos climbing round it, the grand pause.

The first Hallelujahs are full-house bursts of white-gold, one on each strong beat where the chorus strikes, short and falling back to a warm floor between, with every syllable a smaller flash on the far porch, so the house pulses with the words without strobing. "For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth", which Handel sets with everyone in unison, is one steady line: the whole roofline lit evenly, rising and falling with the single tune, dipping with its octave drop on "Om-". Then the trumpets and timpani enter on the answering Hallelujahs: gold flares from Porch Front, a low amber thump at the ends of the house on each drum stroke.

"The kingdom of this world" is hushed: the house sinks to a dim blue with a faint warm line, and through "is become" the warmth swells back. "King of Kings": the sopranos climb on held notes while everyone else answers "for ever and ever, Hallelujah", and each held step lights the next run of the house and keeps it lit, climbing from Left round through Porch Left, Porch Front and Porch Right to Right, the answers shimmering over what is already lit, the trumpets flaring gold on the porch.

The last Hallelujahs burst again, and then Handel's grand pause: the house holds still and dim, nothing moving, for the whole length of the silence. The Adagio "Hal-le-lu-jah" brightens with each syllable, and the final chord lands at full warm gold and holds.

The music is Handel's own: Messiah No. 44, bars 4-7, 12-14 and 16, 33-37, 51-54, 57-60 and 63-69 (the three held steps of "King of Kings" and the fortissimo "and Lord of Lords") and 90-94, transcribed from Prout's full score (Novello, 1902) into hallelujah.musicxml and timed by scripts/score_excerpt.py at crotchet 84 (Prout marks 72; a little quicker to fit), the grand pause held 1.5 s longer and the last Hallelujah taken Adagio as Handel's autograph marks it. Strings, voices, two trumpets and timpani as Handel scored them; the chorus on strings with oboes and bassoons doubling, and the organ under the chorus throughout.

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 · 0.4 MB.mp3

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