[Picture: Music scores: While now without measure we revel in pleasure.
With their vain mysterios art]
The former of these two extracts is from the chorus “Venus laughing from
the skies” in _Theodora_; the other is from the air “Wise men flattering”
in _Judas Maccabæus_. I know no better examples of the way Handel
sometimes derives his melody from the natural intonation of the speaking
voice. The “pleasure” (in bar four of the chorus) suggests a man saying
“with pleasure” when accepting an invitation to dinner. Of course one
can say, “with pleasure” in a variety of tones, but a sudden exaltation
on the second syllable is very common.
In the other example, the first bar of the accompaniment puts the
argument in a most persuasive manner; the second simply re-states it; the
third is the clincher, I cannot understand any man’s holding out against
bar three. The fourth bar re-states the clincher, but at a lower pitch,
as by one who is quite satisfied that he has convinced his adversary.