Context

Although they belong to distinct musical eras, both genres are renown for their religious connotation. Both oratorios and gospel music were performed in church, as an expression of religious faith.

Lyrical Component

The lyrical component of both the oratorio and gospel music is mostly sacred and non-liturgical (it is not taken directly from biblical writings).

Texture

The layering of sounds in the English Oratorio consists in a mixture of polyphony and homophony. Polyphony is present in the various melodic lines that exist in the different sections of the choir (soprano, alto, tenor, bass), which is very often imitative, such as in the D section (bars 41 to 50) of Handel's "Hallelujah". There is also polyphony in the fact that the instrumental accompaniment follows the melodic line imitatively or contrapuntally. Homophony exists when this accompaniment highlights certain parts of the melody (for example in the main theme or the B section of Handel's Hallelujah, or in the basso continuo), or when all the voices sing homorhythmically (also present in the main theme).

A second aspect of texture is timbre. Handel's Messiah is scored for an SATB choir, oboe, bassoon, 2 trumpets, timpani, strings (2 violins, a viola, and a cello), and basso continuo. Throughout the Hallelujah chorus, the main melody line is maintained by all voices, not only the high-register ones. For example, there is timbre contrast from bars 41 to 50 ("And he shall reign forever and ever"), where the basses sing the melody line, then the tenors, then the altos, and then the sopranos.

A third aspect of texture is the use of dynamics, note duration, and tempo. It is not possible to generalize about these aspects, however, there are certain elements that one can point out. Dynamics may vary with every act of an oratorio, and they might even vary inside every scene. In the case of "Hallelujah", there is no main dynamic contrast, as the entire piece is along the lines of forte and fortissimo (except for the C section, starting in bar 34). The same occurs with note duration. Tempo is maintained constant throughout a piece, which occurs in "Hallelujah" also. However, there is a rallentando towards the end.

Structure

Oratorios are a three act large scale composition. Each act is divided into scenes. "Hallelujah", a chorus from one of these scenes, has the following form: Intro, A, B, B', C, D, E (Transition), D', F, A', ending. Also, the structure of "Hallelujah" consists, to an extent, of the development of the main theme exposed in part A.



Devices

As opposed to Gospel music, which contains call and response between a lead singer and the choir, the Oratorio shows a predominance of the whole choir.




There are written out melismas throughout the piece, which unlike Gospel, are not left to the discretion and improvisation of the singer.



In "Hallelujah", there is a predominant use of diatonic scales, as it is almost all in D major. There are parts in which it modulates to B minor, such as in bars 64 to 66.

Texture

The layering of sounds in Gospel music consists in melody-dominated homophony. There is a single harmonized melody line (sung by all voices or through call and response) which is supported by an instrumental accompaniment that freely follows a chord progression. As opposed to the Oratorio, this accompaniment is not imitative, however, it does incorporate fills by the Hammond organ or piano. In this sense, the Oratorio and Gospel music are similar in that they both contain an instrumental section that supports the main melody (sung by the choir), in a homophonic way (the basso continuo in the Oratorio and the motion of chords in Gospel).


A second aspect of texture is timbre. The instrumentation used in Gospel music consists of a choir, piano, Hammond organ, and electric guitar, bass guitar, and drums in more modern Gospel. However, in "Precious Lord, Take my hand", the instrumentation used is a choir, a piano, and a Hammond organ. In Gospel there are no timbre contrasts, because all voices sing the same melody with the same notes.


A third aspect of texture is the use of dynamics, note duration, and tempo. In Gospel, most of these aspects remain under the responsibility of the choir leader. For example, in the video of "Precious Lord, Take my Hand", Thomas Dorsey gives cues for changes in dynamics, and to some extent, for the lengths of notes. This way, one must point out that Gospel music is played in a slow and free tempo (if no drums are used) without a stable beat.






Structure

The original structure of the song "Precious Lord, Take my Hand" follows a strophic Verse-Refrain form of three parts (A A A). In the video, only one part of the three parts is performed, and there is an added introduction with improvised lyrics (which is also an A section). Unlike Handel's "Hallelujah", which consists of a thematic development, this Gospel song uses repetition of a motif ("Take my hand, precious lord / Lead me home").

Devices

Gospel music usually uses call and response between a lead singer and the choir. Nevertheless, there are arrangements in which the entire choir is predominant, like the Oratorio. The performance in the video mostly consists of the predominance of the whole choir.

In some solo arrangements of Gospel, melismas are included through improvisation. Mavis Staples and Mahalia Jackson are two examples of all the solo performers who improvise freely by adding to the melody.

Gospel music includes a vast number of dominant, minor seventh, and sixth chords, which shows an influence from blues or ragtime. Also, there is a great use of the blues and pentatonic scales.