Pixelhome by cjimti

MS11 · Show · Messiah

There Were Shepherds

Shepherds' 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.

1:12 · with a spoken intro

Drag to orbit · scroll or pinch to zoom · ↑ ↓ to change sequence
Loading…
0:00.0 / 0:00

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

Night fields on the wings, the angel's silver rising up the porch, and the glory on the fields.

Night. Left and Right are the fields, a dark green under a blue night sky, and on each a handful of shepherds' lanterns glow and sway: they come up one by one as the soprano begins, "There were shepherds abiding in the field", and keep watch over their flocks by night. The soprano narrates from Porch Front, the far light, in silver, every syllable a soft glow there.

"And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them": the strings' rising figures, four semiquavers to a beat, each beat a silver streak that climbs Porch Left and Porch Right from the front corners to the back of the porch in four steps, one per note. Porch Front gathers the silver beat by beat until the angel stands there, bright. "And the glory of the Lord shone round about them": white-gold pours out of the porch, down its sides and out across the fields from the inside corners to the free ends, and the lanterns are lost in it. "And they were sore afraid": the glory on the fields trembles and shrinks back, and the strings' two forte chords jolt the fields twice before the silence.

"And the angel said unto them": the silver on Porch Front again, steady now, and on "Fear not" the fields calm and their lanterns return. "Good tidings of great joy" spreads the silver down the porch sides; "which shall be to all people": the two forte chords light the porch and the fields, then the whole house. "For unto you is born this day, in the city of David": quiet again, and a small gold light kindles in the middle of Porch Front, where the star stands over the porch; it grows through "a Saviour", and on "which is Christ the Lord" and the closing chords it fills the porch with warm gold and lights the fields with it, and the scene holds there.

The music is Handel's own: Messiah No. 14, both recitatives ("There were shepherds" and the accompanied "And lo, the angel of the Lord"), and No. 15, "And the angel said unto them", complete, transcribed from Prout's full score (Novello, 1902) into there_were_shepherds.musicxml (numbered on through the three) and timed by scripts/score_excerpt.py, the accompagnato at Prout's Andante, the seccos at crotchet 80. Strings as Handel scored them, with the string chords Prout gives for the seccos and a harpsichord continuo; the soprano's line on a flute with an oboe. A soft cymbal swell rises into the glory.

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 · 0.5 MB.mp3

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