Donald Burrows – författare

Handel is one of the most remarkable figures in the history of western music. His compositions form one of the peaks of creative achievement in the Baroque period, and cover a remarkable range: full-scale Italian operas and English oratorios (including Messiah), but also shorter works such as the Water Music and the Coronation Anthem Zadok the Priest. His compositional processes were often complex, but could result in accessible and memorable 'hit tunes', such as the aria that subsequently became famous as 'Handel's Largo'.His life and career were as remarkable as his music. Born in Germany to a family that reputedly tried to discourage his initial interest in music, he broke away to seek his fortune in Italian opera, and proceeded to gain first-hand experience of the latest Italian styles in Rome, Florence, Venice and Naples. A series of career moves brought him via Hanover to London, where he eventually settled and dominated the city's musical life for half a century. There he quickly made his mark in English church music as well as Italian opera, and eventually created two new musical genres - English theatre oratorio and the organ concerto.Handel is important also because, as a musician, he also became a significant public figure. In Rome he attracted the patronage of princes and cardinals; soon after his arrival in London he appeared at the court of Queen Anne, and he subsequently enjoyed substantial support from the 'Hanoverian' royal family. He survived turbulent periods in the musical and political life of London, reached a wider public through publications of his music, died a rich man and was buried in Westminster Abbey. This biography provides a comprehensive and balanced account of both the man and his music, drawing on the unusually rich legacy of documentary and musical sources from Handel's lifetime. This new edition of a book that has been recognized as a 'classic' biography of Handel, reliable on the factual details of the composer's life and comprehensive in the coverage of his music, incorporates a great deal of new material. The last half century has seen a great renewal of research on the circumstances of Handel's life, and a major expansion in performances and recordings of his music. The book brings together the results of this scholarly activity, and is informed by wide experience of modern performances of Handel's music, including the revival of his operas and experimentation with 'authentic' performance practices.

This new guide to Handel's most celebrated work traces the course of Messiah from Handel's initial musical response to the libretto, through the oratorio's turbulent first years to its eventual popularity with the Foundling Hospital performances. Different chapters consider the varying reception the work received in Dublin and London, the uneasy relationship between the composer and his librettist Charles Jennens and the many changes Messiah underwent through the varying needs and capacities of Handel's performers. As well as tracing the history of the work's development, the book addresses musical and technical issues such as Messiah's place in the oratorio genre, Handel's treatment of structural design, tonal relationships and English word-setting. An edited libretto elucidates the variants between the text that Handel set and the texts of the early printed word-books. Donald Burrows brings many new insights to this fascinating account of one of the favourite works of the concert hall.

Handel is recognised as one of the principal creative figures in Baroque music. In this Companion acknowledged experts on Handel make their expertise accessible to the interested general reader and music lover. All the genres in which Handel composed are considered including oratorio, chamber cantata, opera, and church music, as well as works for the keyboard and orchestra. The wide-ranging, specially-commissioned essays cover topics from Handel's composing methods to his treatment of the Italian language and matters of performance practice. The background to Handel's musical career is a major theme of the volume. The opening chapters deal with his musical education in Germany and the circumstances in Italy during his time there. Most of Handel's career was based in London and important topics here include contemporary concert life and theatre management, the British and Italian musicians among whom he worked, and the librettists for the English oratorios.

The life and career of George Frideric Handel, one of the most frequently performed composers from the Baroque period, are copiously and intricately documented through a huge variety of contemporary sources. This multi-volume major publication is the most up-to-date and comprehensive collection of these documents. Presented chronologically in their original languages with English translations and with commentaries incorporating the results of recent research, the documents provide an essential and accessible resource for anyone interested in Handel and his music. As well as being an outstanding musician with a successful career as a composer of Italian operas and English oratorios, Handel was a well-known figure in his own lifetime, with an international reputation. In charting his activities in Germany, Italy and Britain, the documents also offer a valuable insight into broader eighteenth-century topics, such as court life, theatrical history, public concerts and competition between music publishers. This volume includes family documents from Halle, then covers Handel's early career in Germany and Italy, followed by the period in which he became an established composer for London's Italian opera company while also writing the Water Music and the Utrecht Te Deum for the British court.

The life and career of George Frideric Handel, one of the most frequently performed composers from the Baroque period, are copiously and intricately documented through a huge variety of contemporary sources. This major multi-volume publication is the most up-to-date and comprehensive collection of these documents. Presented chronologically in their original languages with English translations and with commentaries incorporating the results of recent research, the documents provide an essential and accessible resource for anyone interested in Handel and his music. In charting his activities in Germany, Italy and Britain, the documents also offer a valuable insight into broader eighteenth-century topics, such as court life, theatrical history, public concerts and competition between music publishers. This volume covers the period of Handel's London opera career during which he achieved gradual independence from the Royal Academy opera company, but also introduced English theatre oratorios and wrote the music for the 1727 coronation.

The life and career of George Frideric Handel, one of the most frequently performed composers from the Baroque period, are copiously and intricately documented through a huge variety of contemporary sources. This multi-volume major publication is the most up-to-date and comprehensive collection of these documents. Presented chronologically in their original languages with English translations and with commentaries incorporating the results of recent research, the documents provide an essential and accessible resource for anyone interested in Handel and his music. This volume begins with Handel's move to the Covent Garden theatre, during the period of his competition with the Opera of the Nobility, and ends with his season of oratorio performances in Dublin. These years saw the composition of Italian operas including Ariodante, Alcina and Serse but also of the major English works Alexander's Feast, Saul and Messiah.

The life and career of George Frideric Handel, one of the most frequently performed composers from the Baroque period, are copiously and intricately documented through a huge variety of contemporary sources. This multi-volume major publication is the most up-to-date and comprehensive collection of these documents. Presented chronologically in their original languages with English translations and with commentaries incorporating the results of recent research, the documents provide an essential and accessible resource for anyone interested in Handel and his music. In charting Handel's activities and the performance and reception of his music during his lifetime, the documents also offer valuable insights into broader eighteenth-century topics such as court life, theatrical history, public concerts and music publishing. Volume Four begins with the re-establishment of Handel's career in London following his return from Dublin in 1742, and covers the period to 1750 which saw the composition of a succession of his greatest English works for his oratorio seasons, including Samson, Semele, Belshazzar, Juda Maccabaeus and Solomon.

The life and career of George Frideric Handel, one of the most frequently performed Baroque composers, are thoroughly documented in a wide variety of contemporary sources. This multi-volume publication, the most up-to-date, fully annotated collection of these documents, presents them chronologically, providing an essential resource for anyone interested in Handel and his music. The collection also gives insights into broader topics such as court life, theatre history, public concerts, and music publishing. Volume 5 begins with the composition of Handel's last original scores for his London oratorio seasons - The Choice of Hercules and Jephtha. The death of the Prince of Wales curtailed his 1751 season and deteriorating eyesight delayed the completion of Jephtha. Nevertheless, his annual Lenten oratorios and Messiah performances at the Foundling Hospital continued. At the same time, his music was increasingly heard in the provinces and referred to in the new literary genre of the novel.