Samson was begun immediately after Handel had finished
writing Messiah in 1741. Although almost all of the
work was done by October of that year, he put the
oratorio aside so that it could be premiered in London.
It premiered at the Covent Garden Theatre in February
1743, where it had an extremely successful run of eight
performances. Samson was staged in direct competition
to the opera season at the King's Theatre, and was by
far the more successful.
Handel's approach was new, having ...(+)
Samson was begun immediately after Handel had finished
writing Messiah in 1741. Although almost all of the
work was done by October of that year, he put the
oratorio aside so that it could be premiered in London.
It premiered at the Covent Garden Theatre in February
1743, where it had an extremely successful run of eight
performances. Samson was staged in direct competition
to the opera season at the King's Theatre, and was by
far the more successful.
Handel's approach was new, having written and hired all
English singers and performers. Up until this time,
Handel had always had a lead castrato sing the heroic
role, but he no longer had the resources in personnel
that he once had. He decided to write the part for a
singer who was not in the least virtuosic, but was
known for his musicianship and dramatic skill: a tenor
by the name of John Beard. His choice for Dalila was an
actress capable of acting the part of a great
seductress, Catherine Clive.
The score borrows a good deal from the music of others:
Legrenzi, Telemann, Muffat, and Porta. It was hailed by
the public as one of Handel's great works, and became a
favorite of Londoners. The aria "Total eclipse!" in
which Samson bewails his loss of sight, was known in
later years to move both Handel and the London audience
to tears, as Handel, spending the last ten years of his
life blind, sat unseeing at his harpsichord during
oratorio performances.
The libretto is taken from the Milton poem Samson
Agonistes, as well as the biblical story from the Book
of Judges. The librettist, Newburgh Hamilton, revised
the poem to be a dramatic masterpiece for an oratorio.
It opens with Samson in chains, having lost his
strength and been blinded by the Philistines. The drama
of Hamilton's libretto surrounds the transformation
that takes place within Samson, as he changes from a
despairing, defeated Israelite hero, into a resolved,
committed, and believing instrument of retribution
against the worshippers of Dagon. Each act is divided
into sections in the libretto which are reflected in
the score. The first act contrasts the celebrating
Philistines with Samson's bleak circumstances. Trumpets
and drums at the opening contrast with the soulful
minor singing of the despondent Samson. Towards the end
of the act Samson's transformation begins. In "Why does
the God of Israel sleep?" Samson calls on Jehovah for
aid. The entire closing sequence, which continues with
a grand contrapuntal chorus and a solo for Samson's
father, is in major, symbolizing Samson's growing inner
strength. In Act II, Samson must confront first Dalila,
his profligate wife, and then an emissary of the
Philistines. In "Traitor to love," Dalila and Samson
voice their conflicting views, and angrily spurn one
another. In this oratorio Handel makes effective use of
"crowd" choruses. When Harapha the champion of the
Philistines arrives, crowds of Philistines and
Israelites sing against one another in contrasting keys
and types of thematic material. In the third act,
Samson's final transformation takes place. The
triumphal key of D major prevails in its exultant
choruses, as the Israelites rejoice in their victory.
Although originally written for Chorus (SATB) and
Keyboard, I created this arrangement for Clarinet
Quartet (3 Bb Clarinets & Bass Clarinet).
PARTITION