This week on the Ether Game Weekly Music Quiz Podcast, we're coming up with some bright ideas! It's a show all about all that glitters that we're calling "Shimmer and Shine"! Can you name this shiny tune? (The answer is below) Remember to keep your ears out for a portion of Tuesday night's Teaser selection. And don't forget to tune into the full show on Tuesday, October 2nd at 8:00pm for a chance to win a prize!
Franz Joseph Haydn (1732–1809), The Creation: Introduction to Part I
Jon Humphrey, tenor; Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus; Robert Shaw, conductor
Haydn: Creation (Sung In English) (Telarc)
We're talking about bright, shiny things on the podcast this week, and as far as bright, shiny things go—few things probably compared, at least in the minds of Christians, to the first light of creation. Joseph Haydn's Creation oratorio was inspired by the large-scale oratorios of George Frideric Handel, like his Messiah. Haydn had traveled to England and encountered the works of Handel there. The libretto, naturally, is based on elements from the Book of Genesis, as well as the Book of Psalms, plus excerpts from John Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost. This section comes from Part I, where Haydn depicts the first light of creation with a giant, sudden fortissimo C major chord sung by the choir. This is followed by some recitative commentary by the tenor soloist, portraying Uriel, the archangel. Uriel is not part of biblical canon, but is a character in Paradise Lost.