Handel on the Stage by David Kimbell
Of all the great composers of the eighteenth century, Handel was the supreme cosmopolitan, an early and extraordinarily successful example of a freelance composer. For thirty years the opera-house was the principal focus of his creative work and he composed more than forty operas over this period. In this book, David Kimbell sets Handel's operas in their biographical and cultural contexts. He explores the circumstances in which they were composed and performed, the librettos that were prepared for Handel, and what they tell us about his and his audience's values and the music he composed for them. Remarkably no Handel operas were staged for a period of 170 years between 1754 and the 1920s. The final chapter in this book reveals the differences and similarities between how Handel's operas were performed in his time and ours.
'Not only do the carefully selected examples superbly articulate the points Kimbell wishes to make, but readers are also provided with a range of additional elements to help them follow the argument or fill potential gaps in background knowledgeThis well-written study is an essential read for anyone with an interest in Handel's operas.' Matthew Gardner, Early Music
David Kimbell is Emeritus Professor of Music at the University of Edinburgh. His publications include Verdi in the Age of Italian Romanticism (Cambridge, 1981), Italian Opera (Cambridge, 1991) and Vincenzo Bellini: Norma (Cambridge, 1998). He has also contributed to The Cambridge Handel Encyclopedia, The Cambridge History of Italian Literature and The Oxford Companion to Italian Literature, and has edited volumes for Hallische Händel-Ausgabe and Works of Giuseppe Verdi.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780521818414 |
| ISBN 10 | 0521818419 |
| Title | Handel on the Stage |
| Author | David Kimbell |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| Year published | 2016-02-11 |
| Number of pages | 226 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |