Of all the biggest-name composers, Handel probably wrote the most truly great music that no one knows about. This book takes the curious listener through his entire output, from his earliest works in Italy, through his more than 40 operas, and including the famous English oratorios on which his reputation largely rests. Along the way it examines his orchestral music, the pieces he wrote for England s lavish royal ceremonies, and his surprisingly limited production of sacred music. Just as important, the book surveys and recommends recordings of all of the music discussed, so that listeners can acquire a music collection of whatever depth suits them best, while the included CD features top-notch recordings from the Harmonia Mundi label of a wide range of Handel s music in all of the major media in which he worked, both vocal and instrumental. Few composers cared more than Handel about pleasing his listeners and creating a body of work that was both entertaining and fun. It s time to blow away the Victorian cobwebs that have dogged his reputation, and discover just how much there is to enjoy.
By:
David Hurwitz
Imprint: Amadeus Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 229mm,
Width: 159mm,
Spine: 14mm
Weight: 372g
ISBN: 9781574674873
ISBN 10: 1574674870
Series: Unlocking the Masters
Pages: 192
Publication Date: 05 March 2019
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Introduction: Listening to the Mysterious Mr. Handel Chapter 1: The Curse of The Harmonious Blacksmith: (Too?) Popular Favorites The Harmonious Blacksmith (1720) Largo from Xerxes (Serse) (1738) Water Music (1717) and Music for the Royal Fireworks (1749) Zadok the Priest (1727) Messiah (1741) Chapter 2: It's Saul Good: Exploring the English Oratorios and Associated Instrumental Works Blood and Guts The Waratorios Pastoral Fantasies Choral Characterization Two English Operas The New Testament What To Do During Intermission (Concertos and Orchestral Music) Chapter 3: A Pair of Acis: Same Story, Different Music Aci, Galatea e Polifemo (Serenata or Dramatic Cantata) 1708 Acis and Galatea (Variously called a Masque, Serenata, Oratorio, Pastoral Opera, Little Opera, etc) 1718 Chapter 4: Sex and Drugs and Da Capo Arias: The Operas The Handel Opera Revival: How It Really Happened Ariodante: Handel's Operatic Paradigm A Dozen Great Handel Operas (excluding Ariodante) Aria Recitals and Collections Chapter 5: Channeling Cleopatra: Musical Characterization Chapter 6: A Lotta Cantatas and Serenatas: Early Italian Pieces, Sacred Music, and English Ceremonial Works Early Italian Instrumental Cantatas and Serenatas Sacred Music Ceremonial Music Chapter 7: Secondhand Handel: Borrowing and Musical Morality Track 1. Eternal source of light divine (Ode for the Birthday of Queen Anne) Track 2. Dominus a dextris tuis (Dixit Dominus) Track 3. Disserratevi, o porte d'Averno (La Resurrezione) Track 4. Ogni vento (Agrippina) Track 5. Ombra mai fu (Serse) Track 6. Se tanto piace al cor (Ariodante) Track 7. Concerto Grosso Op. 6, No. 1 Track 8. Fammi combattere (Orlando) Track 10. Lascia ch'io pianga (Rinaldo) Track 11. Sibilar l'angui d'Aletto (Aci, Galatea e Polifemo) Track 14. Rejoice, O Judah! Hallelujah! Amen (Judas Maccabaeus)
David Hurwitz, a music critic, author, and percussionist, is the founder and executive editor of Classicstoday.com, the Internet's first classical music review magazine. His many books include Unlocking the Masters titles on Richard Strauss, Mozart, Mahler, Sibelius, Haydn, Dvorak, Shostakovich, and Bernstein. Hurwitz's other writings include works on Beethoven and Brahms, and his articles have appeared in Nineteenth-Century Music Review, Music and Letters, Early Music America, and other scholarly periodicals. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.
