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Messiah
Paperback / softback
Main Details
Title |
Messiah
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Authors and Contributors |
By (author) Jonathan Keates
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Series | The Landmark Library |
Series part Volume No. |
4
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Physical Properties |
Format:Paperback / softback | Pages:192 | Dimensions(mm): Height 200,Width 135 |
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Category/Genre | Baroque music (c 1600 to c 1750) |
ISBN/Barcode |
9781786695956
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Classifications | Dewey:782.23092 |
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Audience | |
Illustrations |
40 colour illustrations
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Publishing Details |
Publisher |
Head of Zeus
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Imprint |
Head of Zeus
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Publication Date |
14 December 2017 |
Publication Country |
United Kingdom
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Description
In 1741, in just 24 days, the German-born, British-naturalized composer George Frideric Handel wrote an oratorio rich in tuneful arias and choruses of robust grandeur. Coolly received in London at first, after Handel's death Messiah enjoyed an extraordinary surge in popularity: it was performed at festivals across England; other composers rushed to rearrange it; it would be commercially recorded on more than 100 occasions. Jonathan Keates tells the story of the composition and musical afterlife of Handel's masterpiece: he considers the first performances and its place in Handel's output; he looks at the oratorio itself and its relationship with spirituality in the age of the Enlightenment; and he examines why Messiah became such an essential element in the national culture of Britain. Illustrated with beautiful images, including the original score of the work, Messiah is a richly informative and affectionate celebration of a high-point of Britain's Georgian golden age.
Author Biography
Jonathan Keates is a distinguished and prize-winning biographer, novelist and travel writer, and author of lives of the composers Handel (1985) and Purcell (1995). He is chairman of the Venice in Peril fund.
ReviewsSimmers with an unashamed passion for the music itself * Sunday Telegraph * Keates appraises his works with passionate scrutiny * The Sunday Times * A brilliantly lucid guide to Handel's evolving art * Independent *
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