George Frideric Handel

 

Nationality: German

Born: Halle, February 23^rd 1685

Died: London, April 14^th 1759

Type of music: Italian opera, English oratorios

Main works: Water music (1717), over 40 operas, 12 concerti grossi (1739), Messiah (1742)

Handel was an exact contemporary and compatriot of J.S. Bach, although unlike Bach, he would lead a nomadic career which took him to Italy and then his resting place, England. In 1703 at the age of 18, Handel moved to Hamburg to pursue is interest in opera, but soon departed for Italy, the birthplace of the genre.

By 1707, Handel had composed his first complete opera, 'Rodrigo', which was staged at a theatre in Florence. Following it's success he moved to Rome where he worked at the court for Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni. Here he met both Corelli and Scarlatti and also composed his firs oratorio, a setting of the resurrection story which had it's debut in 1708. Handel briefly moved back to Germany, being appointed Kapellmeister to the elector in Hanover. However he took leave immediately and left for London.

Handel would begin composing operas for the middle classes of England, before having to return to Hanover once more, where he spent time composing conerti grossi and overtures. In 1712 Handel returned to London, where he spent the rest of his life as a royal composer.

In 1719 the Royal Academy of Music was established, and Handel became the resident composer. For the next 8 years he composed 14 operas for the Academy, including 'Admeto' and 'Giulio Cesare'. Their fame attracted some of Europe's finest operatic performers.

After George I died in 1727, Handel composed 4 coronation anthems for his successor, George II. This includes the famous 'Zadok the Priest', which has been performed at every coronation in England ever since.

Shortly after this time, the Academy had financial issues, and Handel changed musical direction. He began composing instrumental music and English oratorios, including the famous 'Messiah' which had it's debut in Dublin 1742. This was followed by 15 more successful oratorios including 'Judas Maccabaeus' in 1746 and 'Solomon' in 1748. In 1749 Handel composed his last royal commission, the music for the royal fireworks. 

 

Handel's influence over music and culture in England meant upon his death in 1759, he would be granted a full state funeral at Westminster Abbey.

"The most excellent musician any age ever produced” - Handel's Epitaph

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Johann Sebastian Bach

Nationality: German

Born: Eisenach, March 21^st 1685

Died: Leipzig, July 28^th 1750

Type of music: Sacred music, Cantatas, instrumental music, keyboard music

Main works: Brandenburg Concertos (1721), Goldberg variations (1722), Well tempered clavier (1722-44), Mass in B minor (1749), The art of fugue (1750)

Bach today isn't just considered to be the best composer of the Baroque era, but possibly the greatest composer of all time. During his lifetime he mastered several keyboard instruments, while devoting himself and his music to the service of the church. He was born into a family of successful musicians, and at the age of 10 Bach moved to Ohrdruf to live with his brother who was an organist. It is most likely he taught Bach before he attained a place at St Michaels school in Luneburg. Here he studied music and sang in the choir until he left in 1702.

Bach briefly worked as a violinist at the Weimar ducal court before he was appointed the position of organist at a church in Arnstadt. Here he began his compositional career and in the winter of 1705-06, it is said Bach walked approximately 260 miles to Lubeck to see Dietrich Buxtehude performing. (Another virtuoso organist).

In 1708 Bach moved again to the Weimar ducal court. Here Bach took up the position of organist at the ducal chapel. Here Bach began to compose cantatas for court performances, and also instrumental music for the court orchestra.

However in 1717, after his relationship with Duke Wilhelm Ernst had broken down, he took up the position of Kapellmeister for Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Cothen. Here most of the works Bach composed were secular compositions, as needed. This includes the Brandenburg concertos, his famous double concerto in D minor, orchestral suites and sonatas.

In 1721, Bach remarried to the singer and harpsichordist Anna Magdalena for whom he dedicated 'The Well Tempered Clavier' to. In May of 1723 Bach moved to his final post which was the Cantor at a school in Leipzig. Here Bach taught music and also provided music for the two churches in the town. Most notably, Bach composed roughly 250 Cantatas for Sunday church services, which are works written for voices and orchestra. He also composed two settings of the Passion, his famous Mass in B minor and the Christmas Oratorio. One of Bach's last major compositions was the Goldberg variations, a work based on a fugue setting written for Harpsichord.

Bach's music held little influence during the classical period, but was rediscovered in the 19^th Century, particularly by Mendelssohn, and his music is still performed all over the world today.

"Johann Sebastian Bach has done everything completely, he was a man through and through”. - Franz Schubert

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Dietrich Buxtehude

Nationality: Danish

Born: Oldesloe, 1637

Died: Lubeck, Germany, May 9^th 1707

Type of music: Organ music, cantatas

Main works: 120 sacred cantatas

Buxtehude was a direct contemporary of Pachelbel, and was also a virtuoso organist. He certainly influenced J.S. Bach as Pachelbel did, and it's said that in the winter of 1705-06, Bach in fact walked from Thuringia to Lubeck just to hear Buxtehude performing.

In 1668 he attained the position of organist at St Mary's church in Lubeck, Germany, a competitive post that was also very lucrative for him. He subsequently spent the rest of his days in Lubeck.

Buxtehude's duties for the church would include composing music for the main services, but he also resurrected an old tradition of giving concerts on the 5 Sundays before Christmas. These performances became as famous as his playing.

His musical output includes cantatas, several oratorios, organ works including preludes, fantasias, fugues and variations based on chorale themes, chamber and keyboard music.

"I should place an organist who is mater of his instrument at the very head of all virtuosi”. - Beethoven

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Johann Pachelbel

Nationality: German

Born: Nürnberg, Baptized September 1^st 1653

Died: Nürnberg, March 3^rd 1706

Type of music: Organ music

Main works: Canon and Gigue in D major, Organ chorales, 6 suites for 2 violins

Pachelbel's work today has gone largely forgotten, with the exception of a single piece of music called 'Canon in D major'. However at the time he made an enormous contribution to church music in protestant Germany, most notably with his organ music.

He began his career as an organist at St. Stephen's cathedral in Vienna and in 1677 he attained the post of organist in the town of J.S. Bach's birthplace, Eisenach. A year later he moved to the town of Efurt and stayed there for 12 years as the organist of the church. Here he met with the family of J.S. Bach and was teacher to his elder brother, Johann Christoph. From 1684 he spent two years as the organist in Stutgart then three years as the town organist in Gotha, before moving back to his birthplace.

His organ chorales are complex polyphonic pieces based on protestant hymns and would influence J.S. Bach in his compositional career. Other keyboard styles he worked in were toccatas, fantasias, chaconnes and variations.

Hexachordum apollinis is a group of 6 arias with variation for organ or harpsichord, written in 1699. Pachelbel also wrote 6 suites for two 2 violins and keyboard, a set of 28 canonic variations, motets, sacred concertos and 11 settings of the magnificat for chorus and instrument.

"A perfect and rare virtuoso”. - Daniel Eberlin

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Antonio Vivaldi

Nationality: Italian

Born: Venice, March 4^th 1678

Died: Vienna, july 28^th 1741

Type of music: Instrumental music, Violin concertos

Main works: Over 400 concertos published in sets, including 'Lestro armonico' (1711)

Vivaldi's vast musical output made him one of the most influential musicians of the baroque era. His contribution to the concerto form was unrivalled at the time and would have a lasting effect on successive composers.

In 1693, Vivaldi began his training for priesthood, while continuing to study violin at home with his father. After being ordained in 1703, he attained the position of violin teacher at a Venetian orphanage for girls. This conservatoire had an excellent reputation for music and during Vivaldi's first six years there, he published a set of 12 'trio sonate de camera' and a set of violin sonatas. He also began writing concertos which became his preferred style.

Vivaldi wrote over 200 violin concertos, about 27 cello concertos, and approximately 12 flute concertos, 3 piccolo concertos, 20 oboe concertos and 37 bassoon concertos.

The most famous concerti, 'the four seasons', were published in a collection in 1725 and are of his most famous works. They are laden with programmatic content, depicting various elements of the seasons, such as birdsong in spring and ice skating in winter.

A set of 12 concertos for 1, 2 or 4 solo violins was published in Amsterdam in 1711 with the name 'Lestro armonico' that became widely successful in Europe. J.S. Bach even wrote 5 keyboard transcriptions of them.

In 1711 when he returned to Pieta he also wrote sacred music as well as instrumental music. Most noteably Gloria which is still performed today.

Vivaldi also wrote operas for Italian courts and opera houses in Mantua, Venice and Rome. Several have survived although they are mainly used for academic purposes.

"He is an old man, who has a prodigious fury for composition. I heard him undertake to compose a concerto, with all the parts, with greater despatch than a copyist can copy”. - Charles de Brosses

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Henry Purcell

Nationality: English

Born: London, 1659

Died: London, 21^st November 1695

Type of music: Opera, instrumental music, odes, anthems

Main works: Dido and Aeneas (1689), King Arthur (1691), Te Deum and Jubilate in D (1694), Funeral music for Queen Mary (1695)

Most European countries had continuing musical traditions after the Renaissance period, however England's musical heritage was limited. Henry Purcell was the first prominent composer in England during the Baroque era.

His musical career started when he became a chorister at the Chapel Royal, and in 1679 he went on to succeed John Blow (1649-1708) as the organist of Westminster Abbey. In 1682 he attained the position of organist at the Chapel Royal and a year later was also an organ maker and 'keeper' of the king's instruments.

Purcell's court appointments included writing odes and welcome songs for various occasions and festivities. These works are some of his least well known with the exception of his 1692 Ode for St Cecilias day.

The last ten years of Purcell's life was spent writing music for stage, when Opera in England did not really exist as such. He wrote incidental music for several operas produced at London theatres. These included 'The fairy Queen' and 'The Tempest' which were loosely based on Shakespeare. He provided music for over 40 plays by prominent playwrights at the time.

Apart from dramatic music, Purcell's musical output was greatly varied, having written anthems, a Magnificat, a te deum, numerous solo songs and partsongs, instrumental music for fantasias, trio sonatas and keyboard music.

Among his last works include the funeral music for Queen Mary, which was used as his own funeral a short time afterwards, having died at the early age of 36.

"Mr Purcell, in whose person we have at length found an Englishman equal with the best abroad”. - John Dryden

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Arcangelo Corelli

Nationality: Italian

Born: Fusignano, February 17^th 1653

Died: Rome, January 8^th 1713

Type of music: Violin music, Sinfonias, Concertos

Main works: 4 sets of 12 trio sontas, 12 solo sontas, 12 Conertos

During the 17^th century, Italy was perfecting the craft of violin manufacturing, most notably the Stradivari family, still known today for being exquisite instrument makers. Corelli was a product of this musical culture, and became one of the most influential performers in Europe.

Corelli was Born in Fusignano, and took violin lessons in nearby Faenza from a priest. In 1666 he moved to Bologna and studied music properly with several talented performers. By 1675 he had made his professional debut, and played in church performances commissioned by Rome's prelates, and several secular theatre productions.

In 1679 Corelli became a chamber musician to Queen Christina of Sweden who had exiled. His first compositions, a set of 12 'Sonate de chiesa', were dedicated to the Queen. He then attached himself to the more influential cardinal Pamphili. From 1684 Corelli was playing regularly at events organised by Pamphili and he dedicated a set of chamber trios to the cardinal. By July 1687 Corelli was formally appointed as the Cardinal's music master. In 1690 he was engaged by another Cardinal, Pietro Ottoboni, a significant patron of music. Corelli dedicated a second set of Chamber trios to Ottoboni in 1694.

Corelli began writing sinfonias and concertos and their success sealed his reputation as one of Europe's most famous musicians. In 1707 Corelli met Handel, who was working in Rome, and performed in one of Handel's early Oratorios. Shortly after this time he retired from performing and dedicated his time to composition before his health deteriorated and he died in 1713.

His legacy has lived on and his works have been reprinted several times, quickly becoming popular all over Europe. He was influential to plenty of his successors, including Bach, Tellemann and Handel.

"I have never met with any man that suffered his passions to hurry him away so much whilst he was playing on the violin as the famous Arcangelo Corelli, whose eyes will sometimes turn as red as fire”. - François Ragunet

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