George Frideric Handel was a defining figure of the late Baroque era, shaping its music for the theatre in much the same way J. S. Bach dominated the writing of music for use in church. Perhaps best known for bringing the oratorio form to an English-speaking audience with masterworks such as Messiah, Handel also had a distinguished career as a composer of Italian operas, and furthermore found time to influence the development of orchestral music by writing such works as the Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks. Donald Burrows's new biography relates Handel's life and his music, devoting particular attention to two crucial junctures in Handel's development: his transition from a church-trained musician in Germany to a successful opera composer in London, and the gradual transformation of his theatre career from opera to oratorio, some thirty years later. In the oratorio form, as Burrows demonstrates, Handel was able to combine the techniques of large-scale construction and of aria writing that he had developed in his operas with an experience of choral music that went back to his earliest training as a church organist. The result was music that succeeds to this day in capturing the imagination of a vast audience. The last half-century has seen Handel take a major place in modern musical scholarship. This book takes into account not only recent knowledge of historical sources and significant studies of Handel's major works, but also research on Handel's "borrowing" practices, his habit of using the existing musical ideas of other composers as well as his own. Yet Handel remains unsurpassed as one of the greatest compositional architects in the history of Western music, with a sure instinct for both balance and originality in the final result. In this insightful study, Donald Burrows brings to life not only the glory of Handel's artistry, but also his sometimes elusive personality, and the flavor of the times and places in which he lived.

Handel (Master Musicians Series)

Biographies & Memoirs

Burrows, Donald

Arts & Literature

Schirmer Reference

This catalogue presents a complete survey of the surviving autographs of Handel's music--more than 7,500 leaves in the composer's hand written over a perod of nearly fifty years. Works and movements for which autographs survive are identified, and essential information about the physical characteristics are recoded, including the watermark type for each leaf of paper, the types of rastra employed, and the presence of pencil annotations. All watermark types are illustrated with full-size diagrams.

A Catalogue of Handel's Musical Autographs

Arts & Photography

Ronish, Martha J.

Music

Oxford University Press

This is the first major study of Handel's English church music. It covers well-known works such as Zadok the Priest, but also introduces an engaging but little-known repertory. Handel's Chapel Royal music was the result of a close but changing relationship with Britain's Hanoverian royal family. The story of the political background is complemented by an investigation of the circumstances of Handel's performances.

Handel and the English Chapel Royal (Oxford Studies in British Church Music)

Although such works as Messiah and the Water Music have remained firmly in the repertory since their composition, only recently have the delights of Handel's operas been rediscovered: his lyrical arias, sublime choral style and large-scale musical canvasses. Centring on Handel's pre-eminence as a composer of opera and oratorio, Donald Burrow's comprehensive and accessible study also covers all other important genres, such as the concerto and church music. Taking account of the most modern scholarship, and drawing on his experience as an editor, performer and conductor, Donald Burrows charts the interaction of life and music, from handel's childhood and student years, through his successive professional activities in Germany and Italy, to his establishment as Georgian England's greatest composer. This book is intended for musicians, general music lovers, students of music from A-level onwards, university music departments, opera lovers, performers of church music and oratorios.

Handel (Master Musicians)

Oxford Univ. Pr.

Celebrating its 100th anniversary, this extraordinary series continues to amaze and captivate its readers with detailed insight into the lives and work of music's geniuses. Unlike other composer biographies that focus narrowly on the music, this series explores the personal history of each composer and the social context surrounding the music. In a precise, engaging, and authoritative manner, each volume combines a vivid portrait of the master musicians' inspirations, influences, life experiences, even their weaknesses, with an accessible discussion of their work-all in roughly 300 pages. Further, each volume offers superb reference material, including a detailed life and times chronology, a complete list of works, a personalia glossary highlighting the important people in the composer's life, and a select bibliography. Under the supervision of music expert and series general editor Stanley Sadie, Master Musicians will certainly proceed to delight music scholars, serious musicians, and all music lovers for another hundred years. In this volume, Donald Burrows's relates Handel's life and his music, devoting particular attention to two crucial junctures in Handel's development: his transition from a church-trained musician in Germany to a successful opera composer in London, and the gradual transformation of his theater career from opera to oratorio, some thirty years later. In the oratorio form, as Burrows demonstrates, Handel was able to combine the techniques of large-scale construction and of aria writing that he had developed in his operas with an experience of choral music that went back to his earliest training as a church organist. The result was music that succeeds to this day in capturing the imagination of a vast audience.

Handel (The Master Musicians Series)

Here for the first time it is now possible to enjoy in full the lively first-hand descriptions of eighteenth-century theater from the papers of philosopher and musician, James Harris (1709-80). These contain many new anecdotes about Handel and his music, exchanges of letters with famous performers (including David Garrick) and engaging reports of concerts, plays, and operas in London, Salisbury, Durham, Madrid, Berlin, and St. Petersburg, all of which contribute to fascinating insights into contemporary eighteenth-century musical life.

Music and Theatre in Handel's World: The Family Papers of James Harris 1732-1780

DUNHILL, Rosemary

Humor & Entertainment

Handel's English church music spans the complete period of his active career in London: his first anthem and the Utrecht Te Deum were composed soon after his arrival in London, and his last works nearly 40 years later. The repertory, which includes the Coronation Anthem Zadok the Priest, forms one of the most impressive and engaging areas of Baroque church music. Most of it was stimulated by Handel's creative contact with the English Chapel Royal, a group of professional singers in a different tradition from the opera stars with whom he worked in the theatre. Appearing in paperback for the first time, this first full-length study of Handel's English Church music traces the background to the diverse items in the repertory, which relates directly to Handel's constant but changing relationship with the Hanoverian British royal family, and was affected by political and dynastic events. It also examines the circumstances of Handel's performances, the building which (unlike his theatres) still survives in London today.

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.

Handel (Composers Across Cultures)

Donald Burrows brings many new insights to this fascinating account of one of the favorite works of the concert hall. He 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. The book addresses such questions as the position of Messiah within the oratorio genre, Handel's treatment of structural design, tonal relationships in the work and problems of English wordsetting, as well as contemporary issues such as Handel's relationship with his librettist, Charles Jennens, and with his performers and audience.

Handel: Messiah (Cambridge Music Handbooks)

Cambridge University Press

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Books by Burrows, Donald

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Burrows, Donald. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Handel (Master Musicians Series)

A Catalogue of Handel's Musical Autographs

Handel and the English Chapel Royal (Oxford Studies in British Church Music)

Handel (Master Musicians)

Handel (The Master Musicians Series)

Music and Theatre in Handel's World: The Family Papers of James Harris 1732-1780

Handel and the English Chapel Royal (Oxford Studies in British Church Music)

Handel (Composers Across Cultures)

Handel: Messiah (Cambridge Music Handbooks)

Handel: Messiah (Cambridge Music Handbooks)