Musical Moments #14
MUSICAL MOMENT #14
Going for Baroque this weekend…
“Handel understands effects better than any of us—when he chooses, he strikes like a thunderbolt.”
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba from Solomon by George Frideric Handel
This spry little sinfonia written for strings and two oboes is from George Frideric Handel’s rarely performed oratorio, Solomon. The cheerful and lively interlude, most often played by itself, was premiered in London in 1749, and the city saw an important repeat performance when the piece was featured in the opening ceremonies of the 2012 Olympic Games.
Handel was German by birth, studied for a time in Italy, and eventually settled in England, where he became a British citizen and spent the rest of his life in his adopted country. Over time, Handel became a big deal musically in London. The King of England held him in high esteem, even placing his portrait in the Windsor Castle where it still hangs. Handel certainly garnered favor through actions such as writing Water Music for the King to float down the Thames, eating and drinking with his friends, while Handel and fifty musicians floated along-side to entertain the prestigious party.
Unlike some musicians, Handel was as highly regarded by composers of his own time as he is now. Beethoven, for example, was a devotee and wrote, "Go to him to learn how to achieve great effects, by such simple means.” When J.S. Bach tried to meet him, though, Handel did not grant an audience with the church musician from Leipzig. Some believe that this was not from lack of respect but that Handel left in a hurry when he heard Bach was in town to compete in an organ playing contest because he did not want to play opposite the clearly masterful Bach. Handel lived a fascinating, and at times challenging existence, and the biographic details of his life are worth further investigation. He was known as a gentle person with a great sense of humor, but he also possessed a quick temper. He once participated in a knife fight where a big brass button fortuitously shielded him from injury. His less than friendly rivalry with fellow London composer Giovanni Bononcini was legendary and even caused the British poet, John Byrom to name them the original “Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-dee.” Handel made and lost his fortune a number of times but was known for his generosity, demonstrated by having written Messiah for a benefit concert. Perhaps the only thing as large as Handel’s persona was his prolific musical output.
This live recording of “The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba” is from a February 2004 performance.
When asked why he “borrowed” some of Bononcini’s music Handel replied: “It was much too good for him, he did not know what to do with it.” G.F. Handel
“The earth has music for those who listen.”
William Shakespeare
Listen on YouTube
In Virtute Tua by Crzecorz Gerway Ggorczycki (Opening section)
This past season in our “Insights and Sounds” series, we introduced a program entitled “The Greatest Composers (You've Never Heard Of).” Throughout time, I feel we have boiled classical music into a consume, the ingredients of which only include a few standard composers and works, when in fact there have been hundreds of fabulous composers whose music we never hear. Ggorczycki is indeed one such composer.
We know little of the early life or education of Ggorczycki except that he was born in Bohemia, educated in Philosophy at the University of Prague, and then attended the University of Vienna where he studied Theology. He arrived in Krakow, Poland around 1690, attended the Catholic Seminary there, and was ordained two years later.
Following his ordination, Ggorczycki spent several years as a missionary lecturer in rhetoric and poetry before returning to Kraków. He was eventually appointed Kapellmeister of the cathedral there in 1698 and remained in that position until his death 36 years later.
Only 39 works exist that can be attributed to Ggorczyck, but he is believed to have been a prolific composer. He wrote primarily church music and was called the Polish “Handel,” because of his musical contributions to the era of High Baroque.
The offering of “In Virtua Tua” you will hear today is from a live (unedited) performance by members of the Bach Choir and Orchestra. An English translation of the first section reads:
“In Thy strength, O Lord, the just man shall rejoice: and in Thy salvation he shall rejoice exceedingly.”
I hope you enjoy this lively and tuneful reminder of the great music we all have yet to discover.
“Music is love; it springs from religion and leads to religion. “
Eduard Hanslick
Listen on YouTube