As Pants the Hart (Handel)
Encyclopedia
As pants the hart is an anthem
composed by George Frideric Handel
for the Chapel Royal
of Queen Anne
and subsequently revised. There are five versions of the work (indicated by the letters a to e), the first being completed in 1713, and the final in 1738. HWV 251a was the first anthem Handel composed for the Chapel Royal.
The 1713 version is an early example of Handel setting words in English, which was his third language. The anthem takes its title from the first line, the incipit
, of Psalm 42
. The rest of the text - it is the same for all of Handel’s versions of the anthem - is also taken from the psalm, and has been attributed to John Arbuthnot
. Arbuthnot clearly based his work on earlier translations, as the text opens with lines from Tate and Brady
’s metrical version, but reverts at verse two to the Prayer Book
version.
Handel met with royal favour in 1713 and received a major commission, the Utrecht Te Deum and Jubilate
to commemorate the Peace of Utrecht. Soon after the introduction of HWV 251a to the Chapel Royal repertoire, Handel was awarded a pension from Queen Anne of ₤200 per annum. The royal patronage continued under the Hanoverians. In 1723 (soon after the composition of HWV 251d), Handel received a second pension, granted to him as "Composer to the Chapel Royal". This second pension brought Handel’s total annual income from court pensions and his position as "Music Master to the Royal Princesses" to ₤600—a considerable sum for the time.
In Handel’s day, all parts were sung by male voices—typically twelve boys and twelve men.
Even though the text is the same for all versions of HWV 251, the voice scoring differs. For example, in the HWV 251a version, the movement Tears are my daily food... was written for solo alto, and the movement Why so full of grief... was written for treble and alto (these can be compared with the voice scoring in HWV 251d—below).
, and it is believed to have first been performed at St Lawrence, Whitchurch, London
(the parish church for the Cannons
estate). It is number six of the eleven so-called Chandos Anthems, but authorities agreed that it is one of the earliest of the set.
This version replaces the original organ accompaniment with an orchestral one, scored for the small orchestra based at Cannons. The choir at Cannons seems to have been smaller than the Chapel Royal. This version features a three-part chorus rather than the normal four parts, but it is not known how many singers Handel envisaged per part.
The structure for this version is as follows:
A typical performance takes about 12 minutes.
, Haymarket in 1738. It was based on HWV 251c, but the initial, instrumental sinfonia was extended with another movement and a concluding Alleluja movement was added to the anthem. Also, "Now, when I think thereupon", originally a solo movement in C major, was changed into D minor and split into a solo recitative followed by a unison tenor and bass chorus on the text "For I went with the multitude". In the original setting at the King's Theatre, the orchestra consisted of oboes, bassoons, strings and keyboard continuo.
Anthem
The term anthem means either a specific form of Anglican church music , or more generally, a song of celebration, usually acting as a symbol for a distinct group of people, as in the term "national anthem" or "sports anthem".-Etymology:The word is derived from the Greek via Old English , a word...
composed by George Frideric Handel
George Frideric Handel
George Frideric Handel was a German-British Baroque composer, famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos. Handel was born in 1685, in a family indifferent to music...
for the Chapel Royal
Chapel Royal
A Chapel Royal is a body of priests and singers who serve the spiritual needs of their sovereign wherever they are called upon to do so.-Austria:...
of Queen Anne
Anne of Great Britain
Anne ascended the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland on 8 March 1702. On 1 May 1707, under the Act of Union, two of her realms, England and Scotland, were united as a single sovereign state, the Kingdom of Great Britain.Anne's Catholic father, James II and VII, was deposed during the...
and subsequently revised. There are five versions of the work (indicated by the letters a to e), the first being completed in 1713, and the final in 1738. HWV 251a was the first anthem Handel composed for the Chapel Royal.
The 1713 version is an early example of Handel setting words in English, which was his third language. The anthem takes its title from the first line, the incipit
Incipit
Incipit is a Latin word meaning "it begins". The incipit of a text, such as a poem, song, or book, is the first few words of its opening line. In music, it can also refer to the opening notes of a composition. Before the development of titles, texts were often referred to by their incipits...
, of Psalm 42
Psalm 42
Psalm 42 op. 42 "Wie der Hirsch schreit" is a composition by Felix Mendelssohn composed in 1837/38 for soloists, mixed choir and orchestra....
. The rest of the text - it is the same for all of Handel’s versions of the anthem - is also taken from the psalm, and has been attributed to John Arbuthnot
John Arbuthnot
John Arbuthnot, often known simply as Dr. Arbuthnot, , was a physician, satirist and polymath in London...
. Arbuthnot clearly based his work on earlier translations, as the text opens with lines from Tate and Brady
Tate and Brady
Tate and Brady refers to the collaboration of Nahum Tate and Nicholas Brady, which produced one famous work, New Version of the Psalms of David . This work was a metrical version of the Psalms, and largely ousted the old version of T. Sternhold and J. Hopkins...
’s metrical version, but reverts at verse two to the Prayer Book
Book of Common Prayer
The Book of Common Prayer is the short title of a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion, as well as by the Continuing Anglican, "Anglican realignment" and other Anglican churches. The original book, published in 1549 , in the reign of Edward VI, was a product of the English...
version.
Handel met with royal favour in 1713 and received a major commission, the Utrecht Te Deum and Jubilate
Utrecht Te Deum and Jubilate
Utrecht Te Deum and Jubilate is a sacred choral composition in two parts, written by George Frideric Handel to celebrate the Treaty of Utrecht, which established the Peace of Utrecht in 1713, ending the War of the Spanish Succession. The combination of a Te Deum and Jubilate, the Psalm 100, follows...
to commemorate the Peace of Utrecht. Soon after the introduction of HWV 251a to the Chapel Royal repertoire, Handel was awarded a pension from Queen Anne of ₤200 per annum. The royal patronage continued under the Hanoverians. In 1723 (soon after the composition of HWV 251d), Handel received a second pension, granted to him as "Composer to the Chapel Royal". This second pension brought Handel’s total annual income from court pensions and his position as "Music Master to the Royal Princesses" to ₤600—a considerable sum for the time.
In Handel’s day, all parts were sung by male voices—typically twelve boys and twelve men.
As pants the hart, HWV 251a
HWV 251a was probably written between December 1712 and May 1713. Along with its partner HWV 251d, it is the only anthem Handel wrote that is scored for organ and basso continuo alone. It was not written for a grand public occasion (typical of Handel’s other anthems), but rather for use in the routine services of the Chapel Royal.Even though the text is the same for all versions of HWV 251, the voice scoring differs. For example, in the HWV 251a version, the movement Tears are my daily food... was written for solo alto, and the movement Why so full of grief... was written for treble and alto (these can be compared with the voice scoring in HWV 251d—below).
As pants the hart, HWV 251b
HWV 251b was written in 1717 for James BrydgesJames Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos
James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos, MP, PC was the first of fourteen children by Sir James Brydges, 3rd Baronet of Wilton Castle, Sheriff of Herefordshire, 8th Baron Chandos; and Elizabeth Barnard...
, and it is believed to have first been performed at St Lawrence, Whitchurch, London
Whitchurch, London
Little Stanmore is a locality in the London Borough of Harrow in London, England.-Toponymy:Little Stanmore was named to distinguish it from Great Stanmore, which is now known as Stanmore. The parish was also known as Whitchurch. Whitchurch is a common English place-name meaning 'white church', and...
(the parish church for the Cannons
Cannons (house)
Cannons was a stately home in Little Stanmore, Middlesex built for James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos between 1713 and 1724 at a cost of £200,000 but which in 1747 was razed and its contents dispersed....
estate). It is number six of the eleven so-called Chandos Anthems, but authorities agreed that it is one of the earliest of the set.
This version replaces the original organ accompaniment with an orchestral one, scored for the small orchestra based at Cannons. The choir at Cannons seems to have been smaller than the Chapel Royal. This version features a three-part chorus rather than the normal four parts, but it is not known how many singers Handel envisaged per part.
The structure for this version is as follows:
| Movement | Type | Voicing | Text |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sonata | Orchestra (strings, oboe, bassoon, organ) |
|
| 2 | Trio and chorus | Trio (soprano, tenor, bass) and chorus (soprano, tenor, bass) |
As pants the hart for cooling streams, so longs my soul for thee, O God. |
| 3 | Solo | Soprano |
Tears are my daily food: while thus they say, where is now thy God? |
| 4 | Recitative | Tenor | Now when I think thereupon, I pour out my heart by myself: for I went with the multitude, and brought them out into the house of God. |
| 5 | Chorus | Soprano, tenor, bass | In the voice of praise and thanksgiving: among such as keep holy day. |
| 6 | Duet | Soprano and tenor | Why so full of grief, O my soul: why so disquiet within me? |
| 7 | Solo & chorus | Tenor soloist and chorus (soprano, tenor, bass) |
Put thy trust in God: for I will praise him. |
As pants the hart, HWV 251c
HWV 251c is an orchestrated version of the anthem, and its composition almost immediately followed the composition of HWV 251d.As pants the hart, HWV 251d
HWV 251d was completed in 1722 and marked Handel’s return to active participation at the Chapel Royal. It is a continuo-only scoring, and there is no direct evidence that it was ever performed in Handel’s time. It has the following structure:| Movement | Type | Voicing | Text |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sextet | Treble I, treble II, alto, tenor, bass I, and bass II |
As pants the hart for cooling streams, so longs my soul for thee, O God. |
| 2 | Solo | Alto and quartet (treble, alto, tenor, bass) |
Tears are my daily food: while thus they say, where is now thy God? |
| 2 | Recitative | Bass | Now when I think thereupon, I pour out my heart by myself: for I went with the multitude, and brought them out into the house of God. |
| 3 | Chorus | In the voice of praise and thanksgiving: among such as keep holy day. | |
| 4 | Duet | Alto I and alto II | Why so full of grief, O my soul: why so disquiet within me? |
| 5 | Chorus | Put thy trust in God: for I will praise him. | |
A typical performance takes about 12 minutes.
As pants the hart, HWV 251e
HWV 251e is a version of the anthem written for a benefit evening at the King’s TheatreHer Majesty's Theatre
Her Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre, in Haymarket, City of Westminster, London. The present building was designed by Charles J. Phipps and was constructed in 1897 for actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, who established the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art at the theatre...
, Haymarket in 1738. It was based on HWV 251c, but the initial, instrumental sinfonia was extended with another movement and a concluding Alleluja movement was added to the anthem. Also, "Now, when I think thereupon", originally a solo movement in C major, was changed into D minor and split into a solo recitative followed by a unison tenor and bass chorus on the text "For I went with the multitude". In the original setting at the King's Theatre, the orchestra consisted of oboes, bassoons, strings and keyboard continuo.