Arm, Arm ye Brave

Christopher Tobias Baritone http://www.youtube.com/user/xxmario64xx

Arm, Arm ye Brave!
Among George Frideric Handels masterpieces, the oratorio Judas Maccabeus is second only to Messiah. Written in just 32 days for the Duke of Cumberland, it quickly became a widespread and popular work after its premier at Covent Garden on April 1, 1747. The characters represented are Judas Maccabaeus and his brother Simon, an Israeli messenger as well as Israeli men and women.
Simon speaks to the Israelites, commanding those who are willing to take up arms and follow Judas Maccabeus, a great war leader who led the Maccabean revolt against the Seleucid Empire (167-160 BCE) and is acclaimed as one of the greatest warriors in Jewish history. Arm, Arm ye Brave is a call to arms by Judass brother, Simon, in the first Act of the oratorio.

Rolland, Romain, and A. Eaglefield Hull. Handel. New York: AMS Press, 1971.
Grove, George, and Stanley Sadie. The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. London: Macmillan Publishers, 1980.

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