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Choral Pedagogical Tools and Vocal Exercises A Practical Guide to Teaching Handel's Messiah

eral rules for the application of detached versus con- corporating French rhythmic alterations to the Italian
nected articulation and emphasis versus de-emphasis style. In accordance with period practice of the time,
of the sung text. there is no one way that inégalité is approached. Tar-
ling argues that “[u]nwritten conventions abound in
Rhythmic Alterations and Notes Inégales the performance of Baroque music… The amount of
By the time Handel composed Messiah, the cross rhythmic alteration in the performances of any era is a
pollination of national musical styles on the continent matter of degree governed by the performer’s taste.”
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had established common stylistic practices. The French In motive “a,” the guide indicates a change in rhyth-
style of inégalité developed in the court of Louis XIV. mic duration on the first beat of measure 3. This rhyth-
The performance custom of inégalité assumed that per- mic alteration aligns with the syllabic stress of the text,
formers would rhythmically alter notes of equal divi- “Glory of.” Shrock states: “Strong notes would then
sions (straight eighth notes), to long/short or strong/ receive their full durational value as printed and weak
weak patterns (dotted eighth and sixteenth notes). notes would receive less.” For inexperienced singers,
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Over time, this practice was internationally adapted: a clear written alteration of rhythmic notation can help
“As the styles of France and Italy overlapped, a new clarify the concept of inégalité and provide an example
mixed style became popular. German composers in for similar alterations within a given movement. In a
particular took elements from both styles to create new rehearsal, each individual vocal line can practice the
forms.” Handel spent his early developmental years same motive and then apply it to their respective lines.
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as a composer in Hamburg and then Venice. In these In addition, a choral score can always be marked with
cities, he was exposed to the new “mixed style” of in- alterations. See an example in Figure 2.
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26 CHORAL JOURNAL October 2023 Volume 64 Number 3