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G. F. Handel, 101

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Greetings from newCDnews.com, asociate of Amazon.com with Classical 101 by Editor, Ted Libbey.
With Classical 101, Amazon.com's expert editors introduce music fans to key composers and performers, important stylistic movements, and milestone recordings in the history of classical music. In this mailing, contributor Ted Libbey introduces the music of Baroque genius George Frideric Handel (1685- 1759), with a special focus on his beloved "Messiah."

Hear an audio tour and essay guide to "Messiah" at
"Alcina" with Natalie Dessay, Renee Fleming, et al.; conducted by William Christie
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"Ariodante" with Anne Sophie von Otter et al.; conducted by Marc Minkowski
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ITALIAN SOJOURN
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In his youth, Handel absorbed all the elements of the German, French, and Italian styles of the mid-Baroque. His knowledge of Italian music was gained firsthand, during a three-year sojourn in Italy (1707-1710) that amounted to a masterclass in composition. During several stays in Rome, Handel saw his Italian colleagues evade the papal ban on opera by composing oratorios and cantatas in the theatrical style. Originally a sacred form, the oratorio had, by that time, grown into something rather far removed from the church--a hybrid that clothed texts drawn from the Bible, classical literature, epic poetry, and other sources in magnificent operatic trappings, intended not for edification--the original purpose of the genre--but purely as entertainment. The oratorio had flourished in Italy since the middle of the 17th century, thanks to the efforts of Giovanni Legrenzi, Alessandro Stradella, Antonio Caldara, and Alessandro Scarlatti, among others. Not needing to be told that when in Rome do as the Romans do, the young northerner mastered the art of writing oratorios then and there, joining the ranks of its leading practitioners with two works: "The Triumph of Time" and "La Resurrezione." During his first year in Italy, Handel also composed a number of exceptionally fine sacred works, including a splendid setting of Psalm 110, the "Dixit Dominus."

"The Triumph of Time and Truth" conducted by Daniel Stepner
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"La Resurrezione" conducted by Nicoals McKegan
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"Dixit Dominus" conducted by Marc Minkowski
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COMPOSER FOR KINGS
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Handel would never forget his Italian "roots." He took up permanent residence in London in 1712, and during the next two and a half decades pumped out a steady stream of serious Italian operas, establishing himself as one of the greatest masters of that genre ever, while securing his reputation as England's top "establishment" composer (with the help of such ceremonial hits as the "Water Music," "Royal Fireworks," and the anthems written for the coronation of George II in 1727).

"Water Music" conducted by Jeanne Lamon
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"Water Music" conducted by John Eliot Gardiner
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"Royal Fireworks and Coronation Anthems" conducted by Robert King
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CHANGING FASHIONS
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As time went by, fashion in opera began to change. By the 1730s, with comic opera gaining favor, the public was growing indifferent to the monumental style of Handel's serious creations. Facing bankruptcy, Handel had to move fast. Fortunately, people still loved good singing, and Handel realized that he could give them what they wanted... in the guise of oratorios. Since there was no need for costumes, sets, or stage action, he could even save the money it would cost to mount lavish productions in the theater.

Thus, out of the jaws of financial ruin and artistic defeat, the middle-aged genius snatched a remarkable victory. From the mid-1730s, when he shifted his attention to the oratorio genre, until 1750, when he composed his final essay in it, "Theodora," Handel enjoyed a string of mostly dazzling successes. One of the greatest of these came with "Messiah," which premiered in Dublin in 1742 and is still going strong today. Whether it is Handel's greatest oratorio is debatable, however. Some prefer the symmetry and majestic pageantry of "Solomon" (1749), a later but still very potent score that boasts fine writing for the solo singers, many magnificently composed pages for a large orchestra, and some of the biggest and greatest of Handelian choruses. Others admire the nobility and imaginative pictorialism of "Israel in Egypt" (1739), although with its comparative dearth of solo numbers it was a flop at its first performance.

"Messiah" conducted by Christopher Hogwood
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"Solomon" with Andreas Scholl et al.; conducted by Paul McCreesh
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"Israel in Egypt" conducted by Harry Christophers
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HIS GREATEST HIT
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What is not debatable is that "Messiah" has become the most beloved "sacred" choral work in the English language. Something in "Messiah" commands the affection of English- speaking peoples in a way no other choral music does. Perhaps it is the fact that so much of the oratorio's best music is in its choruses, which are so wonderfully pointed in their depictions of innocence, joy, grief, and celebration. Perhaps it is the way Handel taps into the feeling of his great story by keeping recitative to a minimum and emphasizing the direct, openly theatrical expression of arias, in which the full persuasiveness of Baroque vocal art is brought to bear. Whatever the reason may be, Handel's deeply felt setting conveys the emotional tide of its story with almost miraculous insight, and has acquired a universality that is unique in the history of music.

STRUCTURE OF "MESSIAH"
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The first act (Handel preferred "act" to "part") of "Messiah" establishes God's plan to redeem the world through a Savior and presents the story of the Nativity. It includes the exultant chorus "For unto us a Child is born" and ends with the consoling strains of "His yoke is easy." Christ's ministry and His rejection by the multitude, His death, resurrection, and ascension, are all alluded to in the oratorio's second act, whose basic theme is the victory of Christ over sin and the perpetuation of His kingdom on Earth. This part of the score concludes with the famed "Hallelujah!" chorus; its text, from Revelation, projects a vision of Christ's triumphant reign over creation, which Handel sets as a joyous, buoyant processional. The final act of the oratorio turns to humankind itself, and concerns the promise of redemption, resurrection, and eternal life. One of Handel's most inspired creations, the air "I know that my Redeemer liveth," opens the act. In the celestial key of E major (which for Handel had a "fatalistic" quality, according to Christopher Hogwood), this gracious sarabande leaves one feeling absolutely certain that its words are true. Not for nothing is the opening phrase inscribed on Handel's memorial in Westminster Abbey. The oratorio's conclusion is a glorious triple choral treatment of "Worthy is the Lamb," "Blessing and honour, glory and pow'r" and "Amen," the last treated as a fugue.

MORE THAN ONE VERSION
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There is no such thing as an "authoritative" score to "Messiah," since Handel made numerous changes to the piece in revivals during his lifetime to accommodate different situations and different singers. Even the music of the Dublin premiere departed in several places from the original manuscript. Some interpreters have sought to re-create a specific performance of the oratorio, based on a study of the performing forces that were utilized on that occasion. Others have created an amalgam from several sources in an attempt to offer an "idealized" version of the score, or, as Handel did, chosen that which suited their singers best. Here are some suggestions for further exploration.

"Messiah" conducted by Thomas Beecham
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"Messiah" conducted by John Eliot Gardiner
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"Messiah" conducted by William Christie
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"Messiah" conducted by Nicholas McGegan
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"Messiah" conducted by Andrew Parrott
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"Messiah" conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt
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