Handel's English church music spans the complete period of his active career in London: his first anthem and the Utrecht Te Deum were composed soon after his arrival in London, and his last works nearly 40 years later. The repertory, which includes the Coronation Anthem Zadok the Priest, forms one of the most impressive and engaging areas of Baroque church music. Most of it was stimulated by Handel's creative contact with the English Chapel Royal, a group of professional singers in a different tradition from the opera stars with whom he worked in the theatre. Appearing in paperback for the first time, this first full-length study of Handel's English Church music traces the background to the diverse items in the repertory, which relates directly to Handel's constant but changing relationship with the Hanoverian British royal family, and was affected by political and dynastic events. It also examines the circumstances of Handel's performances, the building which (unlike his theatres) still survives in London today.

Reflecting a wide variety of approaches to eighteenth-century opera, this Companion brings together leading international experts in the field to provide a valuable reference source. Viewing opera as a complex and fascinating form of art and social ritual, rather than reducing it simply to music and text analysis, individual essays investigate aspects such as audiences, architecture of the theaters, marketing, acting style, and the politics and strategy of representing class and gender. Overall, the volume provides a synthesis of well established knowledge, reflects recent research on eighteenth-century opera, and stimulates further research. The reader is encouraged to view opera as a cultural phenomenon that can reveal aspects of our culture, both past and present. Eighteenth-century opera is experiencing continuing critical and popular success through innovative and provoking productions world-wide, and this Companion will appeal to opera goers as well as to students and teachers of this key topic.

This textbook is a concise survey of European music from 1600 through 1750 and is designed for junior/senior level courses in Baroque music. These are the centuries of the composers Palestrina, Monteverdi, Schutz, Lully, and Bach-years that saw the culminating development of the polyphonic motet and madrigal, the invention of opera and oratorio, and the emergence of such instrumental genres as sonata, suite, and concerto, key forms in which composers have continued to write to the present day. The text features a survey of Baroque vocal music organized by chronology and genre, followed by chapters on keyboard music and instrumental music, and an epilogue on the gallant style that emphasizes the continuation of that tradition into what we call the Classical style. The text balances historical context with musical analysis, emphasizes interpretation and the music's historical performing practices, and provides concise definitions of terms and basic explanations of key theoretical issues. The author's website includes a discography there for the scores included in the anthology.

This book introduces every important aspect of the Elizabethan music world. In ten scrupulously researched yet accessible chapters, Lord examines the lives of composers, the evolution of musical instruments, the Elizabethan system of musical notation, and the many textures and traditions of Elizabethan music. Biographical entries introduce the most significant and prolific composers as well as the members of royal society who influenced Elizabethan musical culture. Both familiar and obscure instruments of the era are described with focus on their musical and social contexts. Various types of music are defined and illustrated, along with an explanation of the musical notation used during this era. Chapter bibliographies, glossaries, and an index provide additional tools for both the novice and the experienced student of music and music history. When Elizabeth ascended to the throne in 1558, England was undergoing tremendous upheaval. Power struggles between Protestants and Catholics shaped the English music world as musicians' livelihoods were directly linked to their religious allegiances. Music became a form of strategy within court politics, and secular music evolved through the musical and poetic influences of the Italian Renaissance. Events of the day were told and retold through music, class and social differences were sung with relish, and rituals of love and life were set to story and song. When England defeated the vaunted Spanish Armada in 1588, a victorious nation expressed its jubilance through music.

A translation (with revisions by the author) of Karl Hochreither's 183-page book, Zur Auffuhrungspraxis der Vokal-Instrumental Werke Johann Sebastian Bachs (Merseburger, 1983), this book summarizes the insights gained in a lifetime of researching and performing Bach's cantatas and oratorios. By relating the historical evidence to present-day actuality he helps practicing musicians make the necessary decisions. He also provides a path into the literature (particularly that of the eighteenth century) to enable interested readers to broaden their knowledge of the subject. Because the book successfully combines a thorough working knowledge of Bach works with scholarly research, it is an important source for Bach scholars and conductors alike. While remaining readable and practical, it offers great insight into the cultural milieu of the music. It pursues style authenticity without falling into the trap of rigid historicism. The book's value as a reference and research tool is enhanced by approximately fifty figures, some one hundred and fifty references to individual works by Bach, copious documentation (nearly six hundred endnotes), and two indexes.