SKU: BA.BA04014
ISBN 9790006442935. 33 x 26 cm inches. Text Language: English. Preface: Nott, Kenneth. Text: Thomas Morell.
“Jephtha†is Handel’s last oratorio. Handel had to break off from composing several times because of his increasing blindness in 1751. The first performance at the Covent Garden Theatre in February 1752 was the last performance he conducted before he went completely blind.In “Jephthaâ€, Handel succeeded in achieving the perfect fusion between a biblical plot and the spirit of classical tragedy. With great intensity and dramatic expression he highlighted in particular the fates of Jephtha and Iphis , thereby portraying convincing and complex characters.The chorus “How Dark, O Lord, are Thy Decrees†at the end of part two is of crucial importance in the work and is regarded as the dramatic high point of the oratorio.The vocal score is based on volume I/30 of the “Halle Handel Edition†(BA 4014), which contains the complete critical version of the music of the oratorio for the first time.
About Barenreiter Urtext
What can I expect from a Barenreiter Urtext edition?
MUSICOLOGICALLY SOUND - A reliable musical text based on all available sources - A description of the sources - Information on the genesis and history of the work - Valuable notes on performance practice - Includes an introduction with critical commentary explaining source discrepancies and editorial decisions ... AND PRACTICAL - Page-turns, fold-out pages, and cues where you need them - A well-presented layout and a user-friendly format - Excellent print quality - Superior paper and binding
SKU: BA.BA04099
ISBN 9790006550111. 33 x 25.7 cm inches. Text Language: English. Preface: Hans Dieter Clausen. Text: Newburgh Hamilton.
Handel composed Samson directly after completing the Messiah. After its premiere in 1743 in the Covent Garden Theatre in London, the work rapidly became one of the composerâ??s most successful oratorios alongside Esther and Judas Maccabaeus. This probably had as much to do with the popular Old Testament story of the libretto as with Handelâ??s masterly shaping of the arias and choruses.By including some movements in the appendix, this edition makes it possible for the first time to perform the work in its original 1741 version. The edition is based on the complete edition volume of the Halle Handel Edition (BA 4099), offering the complete music text of the oratorio for the first time.
SKU: BA.BA10700
ISBN 9790006550135. 33 x 26 cm inches. Text Language: English, Italian. Preface: Heinrich, Artie. Text: Gay, John / Hughes, John / Pope, Alexander / Giuvo, Nicola.
Handel set the myth about the love of the shepherd Acis for the sea nymph Galatea from Ovid’s “Metamorphoses†a total of three times: in the cantata “Aci, Galatea e Polifemo†HWV 72 (1708), the masque “Acis and Galatea†HWV 49a (1718) and finally the pasticcio-like serenata “Acis and Galatea†HWV 49b (1732) of which the original version is now made available in its complete form for the first time.A particular charm is provided by the use of two languages in the serenata. The work was originally conceived in English, as was required for the first performance. However, Handel’s Italian singers were criticised for their poor command of English, – so in the end, many numbers were sung in Italian. The extensive appendix to the vocal score includes the additional arias and newly composed movements for the versions used in the 1734 and 1736 performances.
SKU: BA.BA04096
ISBN 9790006550098. 33 x 26 cm inches. Text Language: Italian. Preface: Terence Best. Text: Carlo Sigismondo Capece.
The Italian oratorio La Resurrezione (The Resurrection) was written during Handel’s time in Rome. It was performed on Easter Sunday 1708 with great splendour and extravagance by a large orchestra conducted by Arcangelo Corelli in the Palazzo Bonelli, the Roman palazzo of Handel’s patron the Marchese Francesco Maria Ruspoli. In its dramatic structure and characterisation of the protagonists, the work displays a striking affinity with Italian opera. Lucifer’s raging sixty fourth notes call to mind the demon characters in Venetian opera and Maddalena’s arias are so full of expressive power and virtuosity that Handel later incorporated one of them into his opera Agrippina. The unusual musical richness of this work and the virtuosic and masterly shaping of the arias make it a welcome addition to any concert programme.
SKU: BA.BA10709-01
ISBN 9790006550180. 33 x 25.5 cm inches. Text Language: English. Preface: Hans Dieter Clausen.
SKU: BA.BA04089
ISBN 9790006550081. 33 x 26 cm inches. Text Language: English. Text: Newburgh Hamilton.
The “Occasional Oratorio†was composed as a reaction to a political event which shook the whole of England : the Jacobite rebellion of 1745-46 against the Hanoverian monarchy was crushed under the leadership of the Duke of Cumberland. Handel, who was working on the oratorio “ Judas Maccabaeus†at the time, composed the oratorio quickly and reused some movements from earlier works. With the choice of a libretto by Newburgh Hamilton he demonstrated his support for the monarchy. The work was first performed on 14 February 1746 at the Covent Garden Theatre in London . For the first time this seldomly performed oratorio which nevertheless contains wonderful music is available in an Urtext edition based on the “ Halle Handel Edition†. All available sources have been consulted. Further movements which Handel added for later performances are included in the appendix.
SKU: BA.BA04562-41
ISBN 9790006546633. 24 x 17.5 cm inches. Language: Italian. Giambattista Varesco.
This separately published Critical Commentary offers extensive information on the genesis, reception, sources, and readings of the works included in the music volume.
