Wow! We are already to Week 4! I can’t tell you what a pleasure it has been to share this Advent and Handel’s Messiah with y’all. I pray this is a devotion you will want to return to with your family year after year.
If you have just found us, please go ahead and jump on in! There is still a great deal of worth for your family to glean from this last week of Messiah. Your family can begin by simply reading and listening to each day’s selection, and enjoying this week’s music appreciation lesson. For the full list of ways to participate and a little bit of background, you can visit our Overview Post, Week 1, Week 2, and Week 3.
I would love for you to share with me how your family is benefiting from this Advent journey in the comments or on Instagram by tagging me (@barefootabbey) and using #awaitingthemessiah . I’m excited to enjoy the final week of this Advent with you and your family.
{WEEK 4} Playlist
(For supplemental free listening during the week)
Dec.18th, DAY 22:
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Part 3 “I Know That My Redeemer Liveth” – Air for Soprano
Job 19:25-26
For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:
1 Corinthians 15:20
But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
Sung Text:
I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth, upon the earth. I know that my Redeemer liveth, and He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth, upon the earth. And though worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God, yet in my flesh shall I see God. I know that my Redeemer liveth. And though worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God, yet in my flesh shall I see God, shall I see God. I know that my Redeemer liveth. For now is Christ risen from the dead, the first fruits of them that sleep, of them that sleep, the first fruits of them that sleep. For now is Christ risen, for now is Christ risen from the dead, the first fruits of them, of them that sleep.
Dec. 19th, DAY 23:
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Part 3 “Since By Man Came Death” – Chorus
1 Corinthians 15:21
For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
Sung Text:
Since by man came death, since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead, by man came also the resurrection of the dead, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, for as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive, even so in Christ shall all be made alive, even so in Christ shall all, so in Christ shall all be made alive, ev’n so in Christ shall all, shall all be made alive.
Dec. 20th, DAY 24:
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Part 3 “Behold, I Tell You A Mystery” – Accompanied recitative for Bass
1 Corinthians 15:51-52
Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
Sung Text:
Behold I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.
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Part 3 “The Trumpet Shall Sound” -Air for Bass (music appreciation lesson 4 below)
1 Corinthians 15:52-53
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
Sung Text:
The trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible; the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed. The trumpet shall sound, the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised, be raised incorruptible, be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed, be changed, and we shall be changed, and we shall be changed, we shall be changed, and we shall be changed, and we shall be changed, we shall be changed, and we shall be changed, we shall be changed.
For this corruptible must put on incorruption, for this corruptible must put on, must put on, must put on, must put on incorruption; and this mortal must put on immortality, and this mortal must put on immortality, immortality.
The trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible; the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed. The trumpet shall sound, the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised, be raised incorruptible, be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed, be changed, and we shall be changed, and we shall be changed, we shall be changed, and we shall be changed, and we shall be changed, we shall be changed, and we shall be changed, we shall be changed.
Dec. 21st, DAY 25:
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Part 3 “Then Shall Be Brought To Pass” – Recitative for Alto
1 Corinthians 15:54
So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
Sung Text:
Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
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Part 3 “O Death, Where Is Thy Sing” – Duet for Alto and Tenor
1 Corinthians 15:55-56
O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
Sung Text:
O death, O death, where, where is thy sting? O death, where is thy sting?O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. (overlapping voices)
Dec. 22nd, DAY 26:
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Part 3 “But Thanks Be To God” – Chorus
1 Corinthians 15:57
But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Sung Text:
But thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (overlapping voices)
Dec. 23rd, DAY 27:
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Part 3 “If God Be For Us, Who Can Be Against Us?” – Air for Soprano
Romans 8:31,33-34
What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
Sung Text:
If God be for us, who can be against us? who can be against us? who can be against us? If God be for us, who can be against us? Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? If God be for us, who can be against us? It is God that justifieth, It is God that justifieth. who is he that condemneth? who is he that condemneth? who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is at the right hand of God, who makes intercession for us, who makes intercession for us, intercession for us, who makes intercession, who makes intercession for us, who is at the right hand of God, who is at the right hand of God, at the right hand of God, who makes intercession for us.
Dec. 24th, DAY 28:
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Part 3 “Worthy Is The Lamb” – Chorus
Revelation 5:12-13
Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
Sung Text:
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, and hath redeemed us to God by His blood, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. Blessing and honour, glory and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever. Amen. (overlapping voices)
Music Appreciation Lesson 4
This week, with Part 3 of Messiah, we are reminded of the victories won through Christ’s death and resurrection while looking forward to His second coming and the eternal life that awaits. The previous recitative has revealed this great mystery so that in the first moments of the aria we are seemingly transported to the prophesied event itself. In “The Trumpet Shall Sound,” Handel skillfully employs text painting to give us a glimpse into the future of us all. With the first bars of fanfare in the instrumental introduction and Trumpet solo, the the music begins to illustrate the scene for us before the first words of text are ever sung. The The Bass’ opening title phase then proceeds to mimic trumpet calls throughout as a prompt to stay vigilante and ready in our watch for the Bridegroom. With purpose, ascending intervals are demonstrations for the dead being brought back to life at the the words “raised.” Lastly, through melismas (vocal runs with one syllable of a word sung on many notes) sung within the word “change”, Handel emphasizes the impending alteration we hope to someday undergo as the melody (tune) rises and falls, contorts and refines, like a purifying flame.
For our lessons this Advent, we will be using our family’s easy ABC method for listening with purpose. It is a simple three step process that can be used with the whole family and all ages. Your family will be listening to the piece three times, but with a different purpose and activity each time. The whole lesson should take about 15 minutes if you include all three steps. This method is intentionally adaptable to fit all families. Read through the lesson beforehand and pull out and use what you know will work with your child(ren). Please don’t hesitate to include the youngest of children. My adorable, 18 month old goddaughter just dances to the music, which is perfect for that age! If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to leave a comment. I want these lessons to be as user friendly as possible!
Our Easy ABCs for Music Appreciation
Begin by gathering everyone together for your listening time and explain how your family will be using this Advent calendar as well as the name of this movement. I have provided a printable Instrument Bingo worksheet below to use during the Bodily Movement segment of our lesson.
You can share what you like from above and the following or use it as an easy script:
Today we will be learning about the movement we will be learning about from Messiah is the da capo aria “The Trumpet Shall Sound”. An aria is a piece of music written to be sung by one voice. A da capo aria has a very special form called ternary, where the themes of the song have the pattern of ABA. Da capo means “from the head” in Italian and told the musicians to go all the way back to the beginning of the piece to play the A part again. The B segment of the song is very different from the a repeating A section and may have a whole other mood to it that can make you feel a new way than you did in the first section. Our aria today is accompanied by instruments, like most are, but some are not. The two A sections are played exactly the same by the instruments, but in the Baroque era of music the vocalist often added notes or made changes to the sung line called embellishments. A popular embellishment during this time was the appoggiatura. Here vocalists could fill in the missing notes when the pitch (the note sung) was going down. With an appoggiatura instead of singing the two notes originally written four or five faster notes would be sung. (think Mariah Carey or Beyonce) Let’s listen for differences when we hear the A sections, those are the parts we will hear first and last.
Now onto the main processes of our Listening ABCs.
A – Attentive Listening
Before you play the piece for the first time, ask your family to close their eyes and listen silently. Ask them to try and get a feeling, picture, or story in their mind of what the music reminds them of. We really want them to get their imaginations running for this first listening. Ask them to share what they saw in the music. There is no wrong answer to this question.
B – Bodily Movement
For the second listening our eyes should be open and we’re going to add a bodily movement to help our brains connect our memory and the music through kenesthetic learning. Your child(ren) can use the Instrument Bingo sheet to circle or color the instruments they hear in today’s movement. Older children may write the name of each instrument below the picture corresponding picture too. If any child(ren) know which of the four instrument families (percussion, woodwinds, strings, brass) the pictures match, that can be included as well. All instruments shown are in the piece. In order they are: trumpet, harpsichord, violin, oboe, cello, bassoon, and double bass. For the children who like competition, see who can hear a certain number of instruments the fastest. Choose what will work best for the ages of your children.
C – Conversation
This third listening is where we talk about the elements we hear in the music. Each time your family listens with purpose using these ABCs, they will hear and be able to verbalize more and more. Any observation is welcome and should be praised during this listening. Here your family can discuss the aria’s form and the two contrasting sections of the aria. Could anyone hear differences between the two A sections or embellishments? If your family watches the video some may notice that the instruments shown have some differences from the ones on the Bingo sheet. For example, the trumpet has an elongated shape and no valves (buttons). Additionally, keys are missing from the oboes and bassoon leaving only holes to be covered by the musicians’ fingers. The instruments in the videos are modernized versions of instruments from the Baroque era. Possibly someone can tell if the piece is in a major or minor key. Major keys sound happy while minor keys have a sadder tone. The mood of the piece can also be discussed here by asking how the music made your family members feel and sharing your own response. Again there is no wrong answer to this question. Older children who can write down what they heard in the music as well.
(Just click on the picture to download)
