Handel’s Opera

George Friderick Handel (1685-1759) writes alone of his opera house for over 35 years. Al intimately within his lifetime though his operas were considered to be almost obsolete with regards to set yet were of the finest kind. Due to format Handels opera were the most neglected in all of his works until recently. As with most of the musical artist of his time, Handels opera were modeled on two German and Italian style, with some modifications to suit his artistic taste and that of the face for which they were produced (Sadie, 1992, 614). In the span of his career, Handel composed more than forty operas.True to the spirit of Baroque music, most of these operas show elements of the use of dance rhythms and elaborate mellisonant lines. Although born a German, Handels opera was defined by the conventions of the Italian opera seria, became its most important composer with Fench grandeur. Perhaps Handels greatest contribution to the field of opera was his major power to convey emoti ons with sincerity and clarity through melody, so that he practically used the opera seria convention of the da capo aria with dramatic and surprising force-out (Sadie, 1992, 614).Handels first opera was Almira composed in 1705. His fascination with Italians trends showed through his saw arias and obbligato accompaniment in concerto style. In this work however, Handel also showed the influence of his German training as seen by his tendency to repeat Adonic patterns and relatively infrequent use of highly melismatic melodies. Handel had tried to replace the disorganized plots of much serious middle Baroque opera, with a new fount which was strictly organized and formally predictable.Each scene was constructed mostly by a series of alternating recitatives and arias (usually da capo arias) after which the main characters would exit. His opera entitled Agrippina (1709) shown in Venice catapulted Handel to fame. This work shows an extensive borrowings from an earlier (lost) opera, R odrigo, as advantageously as his earlier cantatas. His success in opera occurred at a time when opera was forbidden in Rome (OGrady, 1998). Handles major Operas were Ottone (1723), Giulio Cesare (1724), Tamerlano (1724), Rinaldo (rev. 1731).