George Frideric Handel

As Pants the Hart (Handel)

As pants the hart (HWV 251) is an anthem composed by George Frideric Handel for the Chapel Royal of Queen Anne and subsequently revised. There are five versions of the work (indicated by the letters

HWV 251a#

HWV 251a was probably written between December 1712 and May 1713. Along with its partner HWV 251d, it is the only anthem Handel wrote that is scored for organ and basso continuo alone. It was not written for a grand public occasion (typical of Handel’s other anthems), but rather for use in the routine services of the Chapel Royal. Even though the text is the same for all versions of HWV 251, the voice scoring differs. For example, in the HWV 251a version, the movement Tears are my daily food… was written for solo alto, and the movement Why so full of grief… was written for treble and alto (these can be compared with the voice scoring in HWV 251d—below). Other catalogues of Handel’s music have referred to the work as HG xxxiv,277 and HHA iii/9,3.

HWV 251b#

HWV 251b was written in 1717 for James Brydges, and it is believed to have first been performed at St Lawrence, Whitchurch, London (the parish church for the Cannons estate). It is number six of the eleven so-called Chandos Anthems, but authorities agreed that it is one of the earliest of the set. This version replaces the original organ accompaniment with an orchestral one, scored for the small orchestra based at Cannons. The choir at Cannons seems to have been smaller than the Chapel Royal. This version features a three-part chorus rather than the normal four parts, but it is not known how many singers Handel envisaged per part. Other catalogues of Handel’s music have referred to the work as HG xxxiv,207 and HHA iii/5,53. The structure for this version is as follows:

HWV 251c#

HWV 251c is an orchestrated version of the anthem, and its composition almost immediately followed the composition of HWV 251d. Other catalogues of Handel’s music have referred to the work as HG xxxiv,239 (there is no HHA number).

HWV 251d#

HWV 251d was completed in 1722 and marked Handel’s return to active participation at the Chapel Royal. It is a continuo-only scoring, and there is no direct evidence that it was ever performed in Handel’s time. Other catalogues of Handel’s music have referred to the work as HG xxxiv,233 and HHA iii/9,25. A typical performance takes about 12 minutes. The structure for the work is as follows:

HWV 251e#

HWV 251e is a version of the anthem written for a benefit evening at the King’s Theatre, Haymarket on 28 March 1738. Other catalogues of Handel’s music have referred to the work as HHA iii/9,247 (there is no HG number).

External links#

Complete scores for three versions of this anthem can be found at the International Music Score Library Project.

Composer: George Frideric Handel