Though Handel continues to loom large in the world of classical music, he is valued for a small portion of his tremendous body of work—mainly "Messiah" and a handful of other pieces. But I continue to find fresh gems from this composer who, for all his fame, is not really all that well known. I [...]
Here are ten glorious pieces of music for Holy Week that will remind you that there is beauty in this world. As a lifelong Catholic, I’ve always taken Holy Week seriously in a personal way, and the reading of “The Passion of the Lord” on Palm Sunday always deeply affects me. You’d think I’d never heard the [...]
We tend to look back at great talent and forget the ambition and business acumen that let artistry shine through the ages. Nobody should ignore George Frideric Handel’s (1685-1759) eye for the main chance. The young German kapelmeister was already on leave-of-absence in England when his boss Prince George, the Elector of Hanover, became King George [...]