By God’s Command and at the King’s Cost: The Birth of Orchestra Music

By Thomas Erma Møller (Translated from Norwegian by Sarah Osa)

The year is 1717. King George the First has brought with him a large entourage on a grand boat trip on the Thames. Rumour has it that the trip is not purely about recreation, but also about regaining influence along London’s river banks. Another boat, which is sailing next to the royal boat, is carrying 50 passengers who each have an instrument. They are performing Georg Friedrich Handel’s orchestra suites Water Music. The music is modern, composed for the occasion, and is just complex enough to suit the King’s taste. The first half of the 18th century is the period for the definitive breakthrough of instrumental orchestra music.

It was at the highly perfumed and powdered courts of Europe that the orchestra established itself as an institution and orchestra music distinguished itself as a genre. At the beginning of the 18th century, musicians often congregated in groups, while more and more became experts on their instruments. This opened up the possibility for composers to create more sophisticated and varied music for larger groups than before. Princes, kings and dukes set the direction, but the creative power rested with the composers. Not only were they masters of style, they were also great artists with a lot to express. The music of this period has been given the name “Baroque” and had an equally extravagant expression to the painting and architecture of the time, yet behind the ornamentation the music was direct, unambiguous, and expressive.

Orchestras had no permanent combination of instruments at the beginning of the 1700’s, but consisted of those musicians the current powers that be had to hand. For example, Johann Sebastian Bach’s six famed Brandenburg Concertos have six different sets of instrumentation. Nevertheless, the sound of a Baroque orchestra is easily recognisable, thanks to the plucking sound of the keyboard instrument cembalo — a permanent fixture in orchestras from this period. Together with a string instrument played in a low register, the cembalo had the same function in a Baroque orchestra as the rhythm section has in a jazz band — they kept an even pulse and produced the chord foundation.

Some instruments, like the lute and the viola da gamba, went out of fashion later in the 18th century, while the violin, the viola, the cello, the flute, the obo, the bassoon, the trumpet and the trombone were all gradually developed to emit a stronger and more nuanced sound. Many of the instruments were also used in solo concertos, such as Antonio Vivaldi’s collection of violin concertos in The Four Seasons.

In addition to the court, the church was the most important employer to composers. Church music was utilitarian music, created for a certain celebration or sermon. It was often performed by a choir and vocal soloists, in addition to the orchestra. Many composers viewed it as their duty to create an as powerful, beautiful and awe-inspiring musical expression as possible in honour of God, and Bach often signed his music sheets with Soli Deo Gloria — Only for the Glory of God. Church music was often intended to depict occasions or characters from the Bible in a sort of musical drama, but without costumes and sets, such as in Georg Friedrich Handel’s mighty Messiah, or in Bach’s passions.

The orchestra had its uses also in the opera. However, solo singers were the real musical stars of the 18th century, and the role of the opera orchestra was usually limited to providing the accompaniment. Handel and Vivaldi were only two of many composers who wrote ambitious operas during this period.

Although the powdered wigs and gilded courts of the 18th century can seem a world away from the contemporary Oslo of the 2000’s, Baroque music actually lies much closer to today’s pop music than many other musical forms. Its pulse is as even and as important as in groove-based popular music, its chords are the same as in today’s hits, the music is often based on the dance rhythms of the time, and it expresses feelings directly, without ambiguity or obfuscation. Baroque music’s defining factors may be the maddeningly distinct sound of the cembalo and the mighty praising of God, but you don’t need to be a music history nerd or religious to be attracted to this type of music.

In the 2017-2018 season the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra will perform the following works from this period:

G.F. Handel: Messiah: A breathtaking work for choir, soloists and orchestra composed in honour of God, but with an expression which touches both believers and non-believers even 250 years after its creation. The most powerful and famous part is the “Hallelujah chorus”.

Listening tips:

J. S. Bach: The Brandenburg Concertos. Groovy Baroque music at its most appealing. Try sitting still while listening to the first movement of No. 3 or the last movement of No. 2 or 6. It’ll make you cast down your powdered wig and start dancing!

Vivaldi: De fire årstider (Le Quattro Stagioni). Instrumental effects and famous melodies. You can almost hear the icicles and steam in “Winter”, experience the buds shooting in “Spring”, or feel the breeze in your hair in “Summer”.

Händel: Water Music. Picture the grandiose royal entourage on the Thames in 1717 while you listen to Handel’s mighty ouverture, elegant dance movements and pompous expressions. Baroque music doesn’t get more Baroque than this.

J.S. Bach: St. John Passion. Arguably one of the strongest musical interpretations in music history of Christ’s suffering and death. The music is perfectly suited to the Easter and is decidedly one of the 18th century’s most gripping and captivating masterpieces written for choir, soloists and orchestra.

Handel: Messiah. Close to being a musical miracle! A work with universal appeal, containing jubilant choir parts such as “Hallelujah!”, engaging music for orchestra, and ravishing voice solos. You don’t need to be religious for your hair to stand on end while listening to this.

Selected composers:

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

Georg Friedrich Handel (1685-1759)

Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)

Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764)

Georg Phillip Telemann (1681-1767)

Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713)

Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757)

Alessandro Scarlatti (1660-1725)

Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706)