Oratorios, Written Nearly 200 Years Apart, Offer a Number of Similarities

Although they are separated by nearly 200 years, Handel’s “Judas Maccabaeus” and Arthur Honegger’s “King David” have much more in common than simply being two oratorios to be performed this month by Cal State Northridge.

John Alexander, who will conduct the Handel on Saturday at Reseda High School and the Honegger on Nov. 18 at the CSUN Student Union, said he chose the two oratorios, both landmark works, in an effort to appeal to the Jewish community.

“In choral literature by Western composers, so much is drawn from the Mass that the Jewish community gets slighted,” Alexander said.

The story of King David, told in the 1921 work, is well known, but that of Judas Maccabaeus, written in 1747 with many subsequent revisions, isn’t as familiar to modern audiences.

“Judas Maccabaeus is the protector of Jerusalem,” Alexander said. “The oratorio is the story of a society in conflict, in which the Israelites are trying to protect their homeland.”

Some of the similarities are unintentional. Handel, who habitually ransacked earlier works when writing a composition, dashed off “Judas Maccabaeus” in a month, rearranging the work throughout his life.

Honegger, pressed for money, produced “King David” in a few weeks, writing the chorus sections first so that the amateur singers could get an early start on rehearsals of what was originally a staged work with a small orchestra. An immediate success, the work was rearranged for large orchestra and a narrator. The CSUN performance, featuring the Northridge Singers, will be the original version for a small ensemble.

And despite the stylistic differences between a Baroque and modern work, there are musical similarities as well. Honegger made a deliberate effort to imitate Baroque writing, although more under the influence of Bach than Handel.

“It’s fascinating to look at a 20th-Century use of old principles,” Alexander said. “The sung recitatives disappear--the narrator tells the story. The whole concept of long arias disappears. The Honegger is much more tightly knit; he’s concerned with continuity.”

Speaking of length (the Handel has more than 60 segments, while the Honegger has 27), Alexander said the Handel would be trimmed in accordance with the temperament of today’s listeners. “Audiences are not used to going to long concerts,” he said. So like Handel, the “originator of cutting and pasting,” Alexander is making some cuts, a few by Handel and some of his own. “Not rearranging,” he said, “but the work will be left with a good dramatic flow.”

And Alexander cited another similarity between the two--being practical. Although oratorios could be performed year-round in Handel’s day, they were usually intended for performances during Lent, when productions of his operas were prohibited.

Honegger wrote “King David” as something intended not for the elite, but something the average person could perform, although Alexander noted that today’s amateurs might find “King David” quite challenging. “It was written after World War I, and there was no money for the arts,” Alexander said. “Composers wrote music for average people to keep them involved in the arts so that the arts would survive.”

The CSUN Symphony and Valley Master Chorale will perform “Judas Maccabaeus” at 8 p.m. Saturday at Reseda High School, 18230 Kittridge St. Tickets are $10 to $15, $7.50 to $12 for seniors, students and groups.

“King David” will be performed by the Northridge Singers at 8 p.m. Nov. 18 in the CSUN Student Union, 18111 Nordhoff. Tickets are $5 and $2.

AUDIENCE CONNECTION: American Music Week will be celebrated Friday at the CSUN Recital Hall with performances by a variety of ensembles beginning at 8 p.m. Before the concert, a panel of composers will discuss “The Audience Connection.” Both events are free.

MARATHON: CalArts, 24700 McBean Parkway, Valencia, will hold its nightlong second annual “World Music and Dance Marathon” on Saturday beginning at 5 p.m. and lasting until 10 a.m. The performance will feature faculty and student ensembles as well as visiting artists.

Also at CalArts, at 8 p.m. Nov. 16, faculty members will present an evening of improvisation in the Roy O. Disney Hall, with harpist Susan Allen, pianist Bryan Pezzone and percussionist Ed Pias. Tickets are $5, $2 for students and seniors.

CHAMBER MUSIC: The role of women composers, which has received attention recently after years of obscurity--if not absence--will be discussed during an appearance by Aequalis, a chamber music ensemble, Nov. 16 and 17 at CSUN. The trio, which specializes in contemporary music, will perform at 8 p.m. Nov. 17 in the Recital Hall in a concert that will include works by Marjorie Merryman. Merryman will discuss “Women in the Arts, a Composer’s Perspective,” in a lecture Nov. 16 that will also include Aequalis members’ views on “The Business of Being a Chamber Ensemble.”

Tickets for the recital are $5 and $2. The Nov. 16 discussion and recital are free.

RECITALS: Also at CSUN, guitarist Carlos Barbosa-Lima will perform works by Ginastera, Scarlatti and Villa-Lobos at 8 p.m. Nov. 18 at the Recital Hall. Tickets are $12.

The CSUN University Chorus, conducted by Elmer Heerema, will sing works by Brahms and Daniel Pinkham at 3 p.m. Nov. 19 at Trinity Lutheran Church, 18425 Kittridge St., Reseda. Tickets are $5 and $2.

Miguel Salvador, Cuban pianist, will perform modern and Romantic-era works at 8 p.m. Nov. 19 in the CSUN Recital Hall. Tickets are $5 and $2.