MUSIC APPRECIATION WEEK 3: BAROQUE I
HENRY PURCELL (1659-1695)
Here is a live performance of Henry Purcell's Dido and Aeneas. This is one of the most heartbreaking arias in all opera. Weep Along with Aeneus as she accepts her fate. You can find the whole opera on YouTube if you are interested.
GEORGE FREDERIC HANDEL (1685-1750)
We will learn about Bach next time but of the two composers (born on the same date) Handel was the more popular in his time. He was a true star and became the toast of the musical word. Bach on the other hand, humbly lived the life of a provincial musician, toiling all his hours away teaching, writing, rehearsing the choir and fixing organs. We will give him his due next week but now let us take a closer look at the composer of The Messiah. You might mostly think of oratorios when you think of Handel but he wrote a lot more than that. These days some of his operas are being newly appreciated by a modern audience. I might recommend Theodora and Handel's last oratorio Jeptha. I also really like his L'Allegro, il Penso ed il Moderato, which is an oratorio based on poems by Milton that promotes classical ideas of balance and moderation. (Good advice for those wild college years.)
This biography is in five parts but worth every second of your time. The name of the documentary is "Handel the Conquering Hero"
You are now ready to take this week's Music Quiz:
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