George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (1685 – 1759)
was a German-British Baroque composer well known for
his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and
organ concertos. Handel received his training in Halle
and worked as a composer in Hamburg and Italy before
settling in London in 1712, where he spent the bulk of
his career and became a naturalised British subject in
1727. He was strongly influenced both by the
middle-German polyphonic choral tradition and by
composers of the Italian Bar...(+)
George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (1685 – 1759)
was a German-British Baroque composer well known for
his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and
organ concertos. Handel received his training in Halle
and worked as a composer in Hamburg and Italy before
settling in London in 1712, where he spent the bulk of
his career and became a naturalised British subject in
1727. He was strongly influenced both by the
middle-German polyphonic choral tradition and by
composers of the Italian Baroque. In turn, Handel's
music forms one of the peaks of the "high baroque"
style, bringing Italian opera to its highest
development, creating the genres of English oratorio
and organ concerto, and introducing a new style into
English church music. He is consistently recognized as
one of the greatest composers of his age.
Esther (HWV 50) is an oratorio by George Frideric
Handel. It is generally acknowledged to be the first
English oratorio. Handel set a libretto after the Old
Testament drama by Jean Racine. The work was originally
composed in 1718, but was heavily revised into a full
oratorio in 1732. Esther began in 1718 as a masque, or
chamber drama (HWV 50a), composed early in Handel's
English career, and before the body of his success as
an opera composer. It was first composed and performed
at Cannons, where the Duke of Chandos employed Handel
from 1716 - 1718 as resident composer writing for his
patron's singers and small orchestra. Little is known
about this first version of Esther. The version which
survives is of a revision in 1720, also probably
intended for private performance at Cannons, where the
very wealthy Duke of Chandos employed a group of
musicians and singers, and where Acis and Galatea,
Handel's first non-religious vocal work in the English
language, also had its premiere in 1718. The Cannons
version of Esther was in six scenes with no break and
written for an ensemble of one soprano, an alto, two
tenors and two basses. Like Acis and Galatea, Esther
may have been staged or semi-staged, with the soloists
singing together to create a chorus when required. The
author of the libretto is uncertain.
By 1731, Handel had spent more than ten years composing
Italian operas for London and presenting seasons of his
operas at London theatres. There was no system of
royalties or copyright at that time, and a copy of the
score of Esther having been obtained, the 1720 version
was performed, apparently in a staged version, by boy
singers of the Chapel Royal at the Crown and Anchor
tavern, a popular venue for music, and was very
successful. A member of the Royal Family asked Handel
to present Esther at the theatre where his operas were
performed, but the Bishop of London, Edmund Gibson,
would not permit Biblical stories to be acted out upon
the stage. Therefore, Handel decided to present Esther
in concert form as an addition to the 1732 opera
season, with the singers currently appearing in the
Italian operas but no scenery or stage action, and in a
revised three-act form with additional text by Samuel
Humphreys. The work was extremely popular and thus the
form of the English oratorio was invented, almost by
accident.
Source: Wikipedia
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esther_(Handel))
Although originally composed for Chorus & Orchestra, I
created this Interpretation of the "Shall we the God of
Israel fear?" from "Esther" (HWV 50a Mvt. 3) for Wind
Quartet (Flute, Oboe, French Horn & Bassoon).
