Handel 2019

February 18, 2019. Handel.  February 23^rd is the birthday of George Frideric Handel, one of the greatest composers of the first half of the 18^th century.  A couple years ago we posted an entry describing Handel’s move to London and his first years there, covering the period roughly between 1709 and 1719.  In 1719 Handel was living in Cannons, a home of James Brydges, the Duke of Chandos, about 13 miles northwest of London’s center.  The Duke, Handel’s patron, was a musician himself and maintained an orchestra of 24 players.  Handel’s stay at Cannons was comfortable and productive: he composed, among other things, Chandos Anthems (eleven in total), and the first English oratorio, Esther.  (Here is Chandos Anthem no. 11, "Let God Arise."  It’s performed by The Sixteen, directed by Harry Christophers).  In 1719 an opera company, called “Royal Academy of Music” was organized.  The Academy was set up as a joint stock company; the original issue was oversubscribed, so many people wanted to get involved.  The funding partners were members of the nobility, well-traveled and familiar with opera, often amateur musicians themselves.  Their goal was to create a permanent home for Italian opera in London.  Handel was tasked with finding the singers, for which he traveled to Germany rather than Italy, but the singers he engaged for the Academy were all Italians, the famous castrato Senesino among them.  Upon returning to London Handel was appointed “Master of the Orchester with a Sallary.”  The first opera season was short, though Handel produced a new opera, Radamisto; it premiered in April of 1720, the performance attended by King George I and the Prince of Wales, the future George II.  Originally the role of Radamisto was sung by a soprano, but during the next season, in a revised version, it was Senestino in his first year in London.  That season saw the premier of Handel’s Floridante, very successful and revived in the following seasons.  Again, Senesino sung the title role.  It’s interesting that the singers were considered much more important than composers and commanded much higher salaries (Senesino’s salary the first year at the Academy was above £2000, an enormous sum).  Handel was known to quarrel with the singers often, even with his favorite Senesino: eventually they broke up and Senesino joined the rival Opera of the Nobility. 

The first couple of seasons Handel’s standing was not as secure as it would seem, considering his position of music director: Giovanni Bononcini, an Italian composer, was a rival, maybe even more famous these first years.  The following years saw the ascendancy of Handel at Bononcini’s expense.  For the fourth season Handel wrote Ottone, which again featured Senesino in the title role, and also the famous Italian soprano Francesca Cuzzoni as Teofane, Ottone’s future wife.  She would sing at the Academy for five more seasons, creating, among others, the role of Cleopatra in Giulio Cesare.  (Here’s the aria Vieni, o figlio from Ottone, sung by Lorraine Hunt.  Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra is conducted by Nicholas McGegan).  The Royal Academy of Music lasted for nine years, through the 1728-29 season, collapsing under the weight of huge salaries paid to the lead singers.  It reconstituted itself as New Academy a year later.  During those years Handel created 13 operas; Giulio Cesare, being the most famous, but also such masterpieces as Rodelinda and Tamerlano.  He also wrote several anthems for the coronation of George II (George I died unexpectedly on June 22^nd of 1727), one of which, Zadok the Priest, has been sung at every coronation ceremony since that time.  Handel became a British citizen in February of 1727; even before that he was made Composer of Music for His Majesty’s Chapel Royal and taught music to royal princesses.  Even though the Academy was no more, things were looking good.  Handel was famous, well to do, and only 44.