In the summer of 1741, George Frideric Handel sat down at his desk in London and began setting a biblical text to music. Twenty-four days later, he was finished. The score he produced – 260 pages, 53 movements, running nearly

In the annals of operatic history, George Frideric Handel‘s Deidamia (1741) occupies a bittersweet position. As the composer’s forty-second and final opera, it marked the end of a momentous era for Italian opera in London. For centuries, it was often

The Madrid International Festival of Sacred Art (FIAS) is a major annual festival dedicated to sacred Baroque music. Presenting vocal and instrumental music in historically informed chamber settings, this particular ARTE programme explores lesser-known works by George Frideric Handel. George

If you love Baroque instrumental music, you will undoubtedly have come across the “concerto grosso,” also known as the “big concerto.” It’s a specific form where the musical material is passed between a small group of soloists, called the “concertino,”

One of the problems with reviewing recordings of sacred music is the underlying fear that the work is being recorded for its musical value rather than its value in the larger realm of sacred belief. It probably happens more with

The Eight Great Keyboard Suites by George Frideric Handel are not merely a significant contribution to the keyboard repertoire; they also showcase his versatility and mastery of the keyboard. Handel’s first biographer, John Mainwaring, who published his “Memoirs of the

We all recognise George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) as a towering figure in English music. He is best known for his oratorios and concerti grossi, like Messiah and the Water Music. Handel is perhaps less well known for his keyboard music,

From Germany to Messiah The German-born English composer George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) is widely regarded as one of the greatest musical masters of his era. Indeed, his extraordinary talent and relentless dedication significantly shaped the landscape of classical music during