DICTIONARY OF MUSIC - El Atril

HANDEL HANDEL 281
operas and sacred music, and always with the
greatest success. Among these works may be
mentioned two Latin Psalms, ' Dixit Doniinus '
and ' Laudate Pueri ' ; two Operas ,
' Rodrigo '
and 'Agiippina' ; two Oratorios, ' Kesurrezione'
' and II Triouib del Tempo ' ; and the sereiiata
' Aci, Galatea, e Polifemo,' produced at Najles,
and quite distinct from the subsecpient English
work of a similar name. Tliis serenat^i is remarkable
for an air, written for some bass singer
whose name has remained unknown, but whose
voice must have been extraordinary, for this
song requires a compass of no less than two
octaves and a sixth !
[B.iss.]
In 1710 Handel returned to Germany, where
the Elector of Hanover (afterwards George I. of
England) offered him the post of capellmeister,
held till then by the Abbe Steffani, who himself
designated Handel as his successor. The latter
had already received pressing invitations from
England, and he onlv accepted the capellnieistership
on the condition that he sliould be allowed
to visit this country, whither lie came at the end
of 1710.
Italian music had recently become the fashion
in London ; operas 'on the Italian model,' that
is, with the dialogue in recitative, having been
first given in 1705, at Drury Lane, and afterwards
at the Queen's Theatre. The opera of
'Rinaldo,' written by Handel in fourteen days,
was first performed on Feb. 24, 1711. It was
mounted with a magnificence thenquiteunusual
and, anmng other innovations, the gardens of
Armida were filled with living birds, a piece of
realism hardly outdone in these days. The
music was enthusiastically received, and it at
once established its composer's reputation. He
was obliged, at the end of six months, to return
to his post in Hanover ; but he had found in
London a fitter field for the exercise of his genius ;
and in Jan. 1712 he was here again, nor had
he yet made up his mind to leave England for
Hanover, when the Elector of that State suc-
ceeded to the English throne. It was not to
be expected that the new king should look with
favourable eyes on his truant ca]>ellmeister, who,
for his part, kept carefullj' out of the way. Peace
was, however, brought about by the good offices
of the Hanoverian Baron Kielmannsegge, who
requested Handel to com]iose some music for the
occasion of an aquatic fete given by the king.
The result was the series of twentj'-five pieces,
known as the 'Water Music' These, performed
under Handel's direction by an orchestra in a
barge which followed the king's boat, had the
effect of softening the royal resentment, and
Handel's pardon was sealed not long after by a
grant to the composer of an annuity of £200.
In 1715 he accompanied the king to Hanover,
where he remained till 1716, producing while
there his one German oratorio, the 'Passion,'
set to Brockes's words. This work contains
great beauties, but it is verj' different in style
from his subsequent compositions of a similar
kind, and still strongly suggests the influence
of Keiser and of Steflani.
On Handel's return to England, he accepted
the postof chapel-master to the Dukeof Chandos.
This nobleman,—who from the magnificence of
hisstyltof livingwas sometimes called the Graml
Duke, had a palace named Cannons, near Edgeware,
and a chapel furnished like the churches
of Italy. Hisfirstchapel-masterwasDr. Pepusch,
his countryman, wdio retired gracefully in favour
of the younger master. Here Handel remained
for three years, with an orchestra and singei's
at his disposal ; and produced the two ' Cliandos
Te Deums, the twelve 'Chandos' Anthems, the
English serenata'Acisand Galatea, 'and 'Esther,'
his first English oratorio. He also taught the
daughters of the Prince of A\'ales, for whom he
wrote his ' Suites de pieces pour le
'
Clavecin
(vol. i. ). Besides all this, he, in 1720, undertook
to direct the Italian Opera for the society
called the Roj'al Academy of Jlnsic. He engaged
acompany of Italian singers, including Durastanti
and the celebrated sopranist, Senesino ; and with
' these he produced Railamisto.' Tlie success
but a party, jealous
of this opera was complete ;
of Handel's ascendancy, was forming in o]iposi-
tion to him. Buononciui and Ariosti had also
been attracted to London by the Royal Academy
of Music, and each of these comjiosers had a
following among the supporters of the Opera.
It was, perhaps, with the object of reconciling
all parties, that it was arranged to produce
' Muzio
Scevola, ' an
opera of which the first
act was written by Ariosti (or, according to
Chrysander, by a certain Mattel, alias Pippo),
the second by Buononciui, and the third by
Handel. Poor Ariosti had no chance in this
formidable competition. With Buononciui, a
man of distinguished talent, and able in some
measure to support the rivalry with Haudel, the
case was dift'erent. Handel's act, however, was
universally declared to be the best ; but his
victory only excited the enmity of his opponents
more than ever. Plis stubborn pride and independence
of character were ill suited to conciliate
the nobility, in those days the chief sujiporters
of the Opera ; and all those whoju he had per-
sonally olfended joined the Buononciui faction.
This fashionable excitement about the rival
claims of two comiiosers, like that winch raged
in Paris wdien the wdiolc of society was divided
into Gluckists and Piccinnists, gave rise to many
squibs and lampoons, the best of wliich, perhaps,
has been more often incorrectly quoted and
erroneously attributed than any similar jV»
d'esprU. The epigram, usually ascribed to
Dean Swift, and actually printed in some collections
of his works, is undoubtedly the work
of .lohn Byrom, the Lancashire poet, and inventor
of a system of shorthand. He speaks in
his diary,' under date .lune 5, 1725, of 'my
I PriQt^d fur the Chatham Society. 18i>4, vol. L p. 160.
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