A Critical Review on Handel's Opera Works

In his later life, Handel suffered from a series of well being issues which culminated in blindness. He died in 1759 at the age of 74.

Handel's operatic sort contains many items that are standard on the opera seria. Even though he occasionally broke away from opera seria conventions, for the most component Handel's operas include these kinds of regular issues as the use of mythological or historical themes as well as the use of devices for exploiting the virtuosity of the singers (Hogwood 51). Also true for the opera seria form, Handel usually conveyed his dramatic themes by alternating between arias and recitatives. The recitatives give the narration on the story, while the arias supply emotional responses for the events from the story. In this way, the arias "exploit situations and emotional states" (Orrey & Milnes 61).

As a Baroque composer, Handel made effective use of rhythm, and "dance rhythms had been an significant impetus behind numerous of Handel's arias" (Wolff 141). He was also a excellent "melodist," in a position of conveying powerful emotions via variations of "mood, shape, span, harmonic implication and rhythm" (Dean 152). Musicologists have praised Handel for his melodies, noting that, unlike jobs of his contemporaries, "his vocal lines and accompaniments usually give emotional depth to traditional lyrics and situations" (Fiske 63).

These elements are apparent in Handel's 1735 opera Alcina. There

Orrey, Leslie, and Rodney Milnes. Opera: A Concise History. London: Thames and Hudson, 1987.

Fiske, Roger. English Theatre Music from the Eighteenth Century. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1986.

Hogwood, Christopher. Handel. London: Thames and Hudson, 1984.

Many exceptions on the opera seria type can be seen in Handel's Serse (also called Xerxes). This opera, very first performed in 1738, was not well received by the English public, and it was 1 of Handel's last operas previous to switching over for the writing of oratorios. In contrast from the normal opera seria work, Serse is filled with humorous things in addition to historic and mythical themes. Furthermore, unlike Handel's regular use with the opera seria form, this opera is a lot "freer and a smaller amount predictable" (Dean 118). Rather than being based completely on a da capo aria form, "the music responds as if by instinct to what's happening over a stage" (Dean 119). Also unlike Handel's typical style, Serse contains a number of duets along with arias. This provides an exception towards the rule due to the fact Handel's operas are primarily recognized for their individually sung arias rather than duets and choruses exactly where the elements with the drama are "simultaneously declaimed" (Hogwood 52). Maybe the most famous aria from Serse is "Ombra Mai Fu." This work is better known today in an instrumental form as "Handel's Largo." Inside the opera, this aria is sung by the title character as an expression of his adore for a tree (Wolff 151). Thus, as the very first aria in Serse, this piece instantly sets the humorous tone in the jobs like a whole.

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