Handel originally conceived Israel in Egypt as a three-part oratorio, with the first part being a version of his anthem The ways of Zion do mourn, composed for Queen Caroline's funeral.
Recording & Production
This recording of Israel in Egypt was made in March 1993 at St. Jude's on the Hill, Hampstead, with a pitch of A=415.
Compositional Technique
Handel's Israel in Egypt is notable for its unprecedented use of purely scriptural text for the entire oratorio, a practice he only repeated in Messiah.
Compositional Technique
Handel extensively 'borrowed' musical material for Israel in Egypt from earlier works by himself and other composers like Alessandro Stradella and Dionigi Erba, a common practice for him.
Compositional Technique
Handel employed a double chorus in Israel in Egypt to create antiphonal exchanges and increase the intensity of the counterpoint, a technique he had not used extensively since 1707.
Compositional Technique
Handel's Israel in Egypt vividly portrays the plagues with dramatic musical effects, such as 'wittily hopping violins' for frogs and 'buzzing' violins for flies.
Critical Reception
Handel's Israel in Egypt was initially a flop in 1739, with audiences finding it had too many choruses and not enough arias for divas.
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