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William Albers
Art 301
Professor Hodkinson
December 4, 2020

Pythagorean Principles in Handel’s Messiah

Despite the emphasis that the ancients put on the mathematical principles inherent in

music, these discoveries would seem totally alien to most modern listeners. These discoveries

are certainly interesting, but one is tempted to wonder what the point of them is. Do composers

really pay that close attention to the mathematics behind their works while writing them? I do

not know how modern composers go about this process, but the tradition they broke from was

certainly steeped in a rich awareness of these principles. An excellent example of the

mathematical principles of music being put into practice appears in the varied parts of Handel’s

Messiah.

One example that I would like to focus on is Part 25 of the Messiah, the chorus “He

trusted in God.”1 While the fugal style of this chorus is not directly derived from the ancients, it

provides a framework in which these principles can shine through. First of all, we can consider

the key of the chorus. The tonic key is C minor, though this only appears in the original

statement of the subject, and then at the close of the movement. For the rest of the chorus, the

voices modulate through various minor and major keys, though all of these are related to the

tonic. The first modulation is into the dominant key of G minor, which is located a perfect fifth

up from the tonic. As Pythagoras tells us, this perfect fifth is one of the few consonant intervals,

so it is a suitable first choice for modulation.

1 George Frideric Handel, Messiah (Germany: Bärenreiter-Verlag, 2013), 25

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The episode which follows from about measures 23-41 involves modulation into various

major keys. While this modulation does not directly move by Pythagorean consonances, the

relation of major and minor modes is closely based on these principles. The diatonic pattern was

well known to the ancients, and the minor mode is based on a blending of two ancient modes

which both used this pattern. Thus, the modulation from minor to major is very close to simply

choosing a different note to begin on in the diatonic pattern. This is particularly evident since

Handel modulated from G minor to its relative major of B flat. Some brief modulation by fifths

occurs in the major section, until we return to the minor mode and gradually modulate back to C

minor in order to end the chorus.

In addition to the large scale of modulation, mathematical principles also govern the

small scale, by determining the structure of phrases throughout the chorus. This is immediately

evident in the first measure, as the subject begins with a descending perfect fifth. Furthermore,

the lack of accidentals keeps the phrase closely tied to the diatonic pattern, using every degree of

the scale except the seventh. Also, from the end of measure 3 to the beginning of measure 4, we

see an ascending perfect fourth, immediately followed by a descending perfect fifth, both

Pythagorean consonances. Finally, the subject ends by descending the scale from the submediant

to the tonic. The answer then exactly duplicates the subject, save for its modulation into the

dominant key, as I mentioned earlier.

A further application of these mathematical principles appears in the various cadences

sprinkled throughout the chorus, which also show Handel’s genius in composing. Although the

various voices are rarely singing in parallel, the end of each phrase is usually a cadence for that

voice, as first seen in measures 10-11. Here, the bass provides the foundation of a perfect

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cadence, while the tenor and alto simply continue with their own phrases, to their own perfect

cadence in the middle of measure 14. Cadences are largely lacking throughout the episode,

allowing it to have a very flowing feel as Handel moves through various musical ideas. Finally,

the subject and its cadences return, with a final perfect cadence to close the piece. These

constant perfect cadences can be considered an expansion of the Pythagorean ideas of

consonance, as it is directly built on the perfect fifth.

This chorus is only one example of the application of mathematical principles throughout

the whole of the Messiah. Use of these ancient principles, along with other structures developed

throughout history, allow Handel to truly bring his piece to life. Furthermore, the fact that the

Messiah is based upon objective standards ensures that its beauty can be appreciated by anyone.

While he may not have been consciously thinking of the 3:2 ratio while writing, the traditions

that Handel was steeped in take this as a solid foundation for the creation of great music.

Although modern composers may well be justified in breaking away from these traditions, the

fact remains that their music is, at the very least, much more difficult to appreciate the beauty of.