31. 5.–10. 6. in Halle (Saale) - Roßdeutscher & Bartel

Dear Music Lovers,
Since 2008, events have been organised in honour of the Luther Decade which will culminate
with the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s nailing of the 95 Theses to the door of Wittenberg
Church. One key theme in 2012 will be that of “Reformation and Music” . The “Luther
Cities” (Lutherstädte) of Eisleben and Wittenberg – members of the association of the 16 cities
where Luther either lived or worked – are not far from Halle and the city of Handel’s birth is
closely bound up with the history of the Reformation: Martin Luther preached in this city on the
Saale, and an important opponent of the Reformation, in the shape of Cardinal Albrecht, had
his official residence in Halle. The Handel family lived in Halle according to the doctrine of Lutheran
orthodoxy. The composer’s faith was probably influenced by his mother in particular,
who came from a family of pastors and whose ancestors had been pastors back in Luther’s
time. The fact that Handel had excellent knowledge of the Bible is proven by the selection of
Biblical texts which the London clergy wanted to impose on him. He is said to have told the
Bishop of Rochester: “I have read my Bible very well, and shall chuse for myself.” Yet, unlike
Johann Sebastian Bach and Georg Philipp Telemann who always worked in a Protestant context,
Handel is one of the few eighteenth-century composers who worked for various Christian
confessions and wrote liturgical music for their church services. He came to know and love the
music of Lutheran Protestantism in Halle thanks to Friedrich Wilhelm Zachow, the 300th anniversary
of whose death we will be celebrating in 2012. During his stay in Italy, Handel came
into close contact with the higher clergy in Rome and composed various works for the Roman-
Catholic Church, including the Marian antiphony Salve Regina – the kind of liturgical text
which Luther refused to include in the order of service in the church of Wittenberg Castle. In
England, Handel turned to the musical tradition of the Church of England and composed several
anthems. Finally, in his oratorios he made use of Biblical material which he performed as
concert music (and not as liturgical music). Although Handel composed music for various Christian
confessions, unlike other composers of his time (such as Johann Christian Bach) he did not
change his religion – another peculiarity of his. These aspects are reflected in different ways in
our series entitled “Handel and the Confessions”, which also include excursions to the “Luther
Cities” of Eisleben and Wittenberg. You will also be able to look forward to some outstanding
concerts featuring international stars, such as Vesselina Kasarova and Philippe Jaroussky, as
well as some exciting stage performances, such as Alcina in Halle Opera House, or Terpsicore
with Les Talens Lyriques conducted by Christophe Rousset in the Goethe-Theater Bad Lauchstädt.
A trip to the Handel Festival and the places where Handel and Luther lived and worked
is certainly worthwhile. Come and join us!
Yours,
Clemens Birnbaum
Executive Director of the Handel Festival
3 Director | HÄNDEL-FESTSPIELE of Stiftung Händel-Haus HALLE
“Handel and the Confessions”