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George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) had begun to establish himself as an opera composer in Hamburg when he decided on a complete change of scene and journeyed to Italy, reaching Rome in 1707. Surprisingly, for an unwavering Lutheran, he quickly secured the patronage of three cardinals, gave a wildly successful performance on the organ of the Church of St. John Lateran, and was soon composing church music. Although he apparently kept composing operas during his Italian period, these were not performed in Rome, since all opera performances had been strictly forbidden by Pope Clement XI.
The psalm setting Dixit Dominus (Ps. 110) was probably composed under the patronage of Cardinal Carlo Colonna, as one of a large set of probably eight pieces, including five psalms, for Vespers celebrating the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in the Church of St. Maria di Monte Santo, one of the “twin churches” in Rome’s Piazza del Popolo. The psalm text seems just the thing to flatter a patron from one of Rome’s old, powerful families like the Colonnas, with its assurance of a ruler’s victory over his enemies. It can be interpreted as a confirmation of the power of an earthly ruler like King David. Also, the mention of Melchizedek (the priest who appears in Genesis to bless Abraham) has been taken as a reference to the Messiah, the high priest chosen specifically by God, and thus of a higher order than those who simply inherited the priesthood as members of the priestly tribe.
The 22-year-old Handel, having already proven himself a master of counterpoint during his North German “apprenticeship,” added a facility for expressive melody and lively Corelli-style instrumental writing during this Italian “journeyman” phase of his career. During his final, “master” period, he re-used music from the Dixit Dominus in several of his well-known operas and oratorios. The brilliant Italian concerto style is displayed from the very beginning of Dixit Dominus with the repeated, energetic declamation of the word Dixit, like rapid sword thrusts; and in the use of five solo voices set in contrast against the choral background. There are particularly dramatic word paintings, notably the repeated conquassabit in the seventh movement, illustrating the smashing of enemy heads. The choral writing is virtuosic throughout, described by H.C. Robbins Landon as “of technical difficulty, displaying immediately the excellence of Roman choirs at the beginning of the century.”
