#polychoral

Classical Nerd is a weekly video series covering music history, theoretical concepts, and techniques, hosted by composer, pianist, and music history aficionado Thomas Little.

This is amazing. 150 people playing, in 1628. That's something we'd usually conceive as being a 19th Century activity.

This is a great example of how polychoral writing went on during the Baroque era. However, instead of using only choirs, Händel also uses string or wind sections as 1st and 2nd groups. In this piece, they are located one beside the other just like a Lassus or Padovano piece (no cori spezzati there, you guys!). There's some echoing by the 2nd group and they are very specific about the beginnings and ends of each group sections. Most of the time though, Händel sequences the choirs music, without actually relating them as a dependent development (such as echoing, doubling, etc), there are always new sections.

respice humilitatem nostram