Although portions of Revelation's Hallelujah...
Illustration
Although portions of Revelation's "Hallelujah Chorus" are taken up by Handel, the marriage scene and the victory in battle here pictured bring to mind portions of another great musical work -- the opera Lohen grin by Wagner. The opening prelude of the opera is based upon the Holy Grail and was described by Wagner in these glorious terms: "Out of the clear blue ether of the sky there seems to condense a wonderful yet at first hardly perceptible vision ... an angel host bearing in its midst the Holy Grail ... The glory of the vision grows and grows until it seems as if the rapture must be shattered and dispersed by the very vehemence of its expansion."
In Act 1, Elsa, the bride, is accused of murdering her brother by the evil Count Telramund and his wife, the sorceress Ortrud. Elsa is clad in white that is intended to evoke purity and innocence. She calls upon the vision of her anonymous knight in shining armor who agrees to battle her enemy if she will marry him. The battle is waged between the stranger (Lohengrin) and Telramund. Lohengrin is the victor. This scene ends with melodious rejoicing and choruses of praise for the triumphant one.
Near the beginning of Act 2, as dawn breaks, all of the privileged gather as guests for the marriage festivities at the Cathedral of Antwerp. The famous "Bridal Procession" begins and during the course of it, Ortrud and Telramund are ordered away due to their poisonous whisperings and tauntings.
In Act 1, Elsa, the bride, is accused of murdering her brother by the evil Count Telramund and his wife, the sorceress Ortrud. Elsa is clad in white that is intended to evoke purity and innocence. She calls upon the vision of her anonymous knight in shining armor who agrees to battle her enemy if she will marry him. The battle is waged between the stranger (Lohengrin) and Telramund. Lohengrin is the victor. This scene ends with melodious rejoicing and choruses of praise for the triumphant one.
Near the beginning of Act 2, as dawn breaks, all of the privileged gather as guests for the marriage festivities at the Cathedral of Antwerp. The famous "Bridal Procession" begins and during the course of it, Ortrud and Telramund are ordered away due to their poisonous whisperings and tauntings.
