George Frideric Handel was born in Halle, Germany on February 23, 1685. He expressed an interest in music at an early age. While his mother encouraged this love of music, his father, George Handel, was not supportive of him pursuing music as a career, and pushed him towards a career in law. However, when Handel was 9, a duke heard him playing the organ and persuaded his father to let Handel study under Friedrich Zachow (the organist at the Liebfrauenkirche at Halle) who instructed him in the organ as well as composing. Handels’ father died when he was 12, leaving him as the only son of that marriage. This put more responsibility on Handel to maintain his family, but it also relieved most of the objection of his music studies. In 1702, he was appointed the organist at the Calvinist Domkirche Cathedral Church. He only stayed there a year though, leaving to travel and expand his musical horizons ( Hicks). Handel was appointed Kapellmeister to the elector of Hanover in 1710 (Encyclopædia Britannica). On December 28, 1713, Handel started to work for Queen Anne (Hicks). When King George I succeeded the crown on August 1, 1714, Handel became a part of his court (Bonds). He performed Te Deum for the first time on the 26th of September in the presence of the king. Also during this time spent with King George I, he wrote and performed one of his most famous works, the Water Music (Hicks). Handel became the director of music to the Duke of Chandos in 1718. Handel became a British subject in 1726 which allowed him to become the composer of the Chapel Royal. Handel also composed much of the music for the Royal Academy of Music. He died April 14, 1759, and was buried in Poets’ corner in Westminster Abbey (Encyclopædia Britannica).... ... middle of paper ... ...siconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/40060pg25>. Bonds, Mark. Listen to This. 2008-11-15, 2008. 139-147. Print. "Handel, George Frideric." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica, 2010. Web. 8 July 2010 Barber, David, and David Donald. Getting a Handel on Messiah. Sound & Vision Pub Ltd, 1994. Print. Burrows, Donald. Handel and the English Chapel Royal. Oxford University Press, USA, 2005. Print. Hicks, Anthony. n. pag. Web. 12 Jul 2010. . "instrumentation." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica, 2010. Web. 13 July 2010 . "orchestra." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica, 2010. Web. 13 July 2010 .
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- Boardman, Griffin and Murray, the Oxford History of the Classical World (Oxford University Press, 1986)
Edward Benjamin Britten is an iconic figure of 20th-century British classical music. His works range from orchestral and chamber compositions, to full operas and other vocal music. Some scholars view Britten’s operatic works as masterpieces, and applaud him for his sincere ability and interpretation of theme, characterization, and melodic contour. An opera that is taken from an already whimsical Shakespearean play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, is of valuable evidence that Britten embodied a rare type of ingenuity when composing for the stage.
Price, Curtis Alexander. Henry Purcell and the London Stage. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1984. Print.
The music of George Frideric Handel has been celebrated throughout time, especially his oratorio work. Handel’s oratorios are considered to be some of the best in existence. However, much discussion and reverence is given to his Messiah, while the others are not as commonly subject to this praise. Therefore, I will investigate the origin and creation of the oratorio, Esther by Handel, with focus on his music for the scene. I will argue that Handel expresses the drama and emotion of this biblical story through the musical elements he employs, particularily
Anderson, Mary. “Hamlet: The Dialectic Between Eye and Ear.” Renaissance and Reformation. Vol. 4. N.p.: n.p., 1991. 299-311. Print. 26 vols.
Lynan, Peter. George Frideric Handel Biography - ( 1685 – 1759 ), Halle, Hamburg, and Italy, Hanover and early London years, Opera, Oratorio.
German-English composer, George Frederick Handel, is one of the greatest composers of the Baroque period if not of all time. His work, Messiah, is one of the most famous and beloved works of music in the world. During his career in music, Handel composed Italian cantatas, oratorios (like Messiah), Latin Church Music, and several operas. Handel moved around from country to country writing, composing, and producing music for royalty such as Queen Anne and George of Hanover. In his life, Handel mastered several instruments including the violin and the harpsichord.
Newman, Ernest “Bach, Johann Sebastian.” The International Cyclopedia of Music and Musicians, 1985, 11th Edition, pp. 102-108
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Weaver, William. The Golden Century of Italian Opera: From Rossini to Puccini. New York: Thames and Hudson, Inc, 1988
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Shakespeare, William, Othello, the Moor of Venice, “First Folio,” Edward Blount and William and Isaac Jaggard, 1621.
Danson, Lawrence. The Harmonies of The Merchant of Venice. Great Britain: Yale University Press, 1978. Print.
Works Cited Arnold, Denis, ed. , pp. 113-117. The New Oxford Companion to Music. Vol.