Antonio Vivaldi - was certainly a major composer of the late Baroque, but his ... He brightened the formal and rhythmic structure of the concerto, in which he looked for harmonic contrasts
George Frideric Handel - was a German, later British, Baroque composer who spent the bulk of his career in London, becoming well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi and organ concertos.
Born in Venice, Antonio Vivaldi was trained in music as a child, but was ordained as a priest in 1703. Although his vocation and striking red hair earned him the moniker “Il Prete Rosso” (the Red Priest), his picturesque nickname soon became the only vestige of his priestly duties. Within a year of his ordination, Vivaldi stated that he no longer wished to celebrate the mass because of “tightness of the chest,” a condition some have attributed to angina pectoris, asthmatic bronchitis—or simply to the fact that music was the Red Priest’s true calling.
Around 1704, Vivaldi began his association with the Ospedale della Pietà, an institution with which he was connected for most of his life. Although the Ospedale was usually called an orphanage, it was in reality a home for the illegitimate daughters of Venetian noblemen, and was well financed by its “anonymous” benefactors. In addition to room, board, and an excellent education in music, the Pietà offered a creative outlet for women at a time when professional opportunities for female musicians were uncertain. The students of the Pietà played many different instruments (as one eighteenth-century writer observed, “[They] play the violin, the recorder, the organ, the oboe, the cello, the bassoon; in fact, there is no instrument large enough to frighten them”) and were considered to be among the most accomplished performers of their time. Because they were constantly in need of new music, the bulk of Vivaldi’s output—including almost 500 concertos, 46 sinfonias, 73 sonatas, chamber music and a small number of sacred compositions – was likely intended for these talented performers.
George Frideric Handel (1685–1759):
Like his friend Telemann, George Frideric Handel showed a great deal of musical promise during his childhood in Halle, but was initially encouraged to study law instead. Although he entered the University of Halle in 1702, he left a year later to become a violinist in the opera house at Hamburg. It was in this city that his first two operas, Almira and Nero, were produced in 1705, followed by Daphne and Florindo in 1708. Handel then traveled to Italy, premiering Rodrigo (1707) in Florence and Agrippina (1708) in Venice, where he may also have met Vivaldi. In Rome he studied with Corelli, and performed La Resurrezione (1709) and Il Trionfo del Tempo (1710). Early in 1710, Handel left Italy to become Kapellmeister to the Elector of Hanover, George Louis, who became King George I of England in 1714. Handel moved to London in 1712, where he remained for the rest of his life.
Handel arrived in London as a famous opera composer, but English audiences proved resistant to the genre’s charms. By the early 1730s, the assaults of critics and the notoriously lascivious lifestyles of the singers had worn down London audiences, and Handel needed to find a new medium for his art. The oratorio was the perfect solution. English oratorios were similar to opera in their use of recitative and aria, but were rarely staged, and were based on stories from the Bible in the vernacular. Handel’s addition of the chorus also resonated with London audiences, who were steeped in the English tradition of anthem-singing. Ultimately, the English oratorio cemented Handel’s reputation forever—and works such as Messiah, Judas Maccabeus and Israel in Egypt are still tremendously popular today.
In addition to his operas, oratorios and well known Coronation Anthems, written for the coronation of George II, Handel composed a great deal of instrumental music still performed today. Some of the most famous were composed for royal occasions, including Water Music, written for concerts on the Thames, and Music for Royal Fireworks. Others were published for purchase by subscription, like the Op. 6 Concerti Grossi, based on the Op. 6 collection of Corelli. After becoming blind in 1751, Handel died eight years later in London. He is buried in Westminster Abbey.
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Answer:
Antonio Vivaldi - was certainly a major composer of the late Baroque, but his ... He brightened the formal and rhythmic structure of the concerto, in which he looked for harmonic contrasts
George Frideric Handel - was a German, later British, Baroque composer who spent the bulk of his career in London, becoming well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi and organ concertos.
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Answer:
Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741):
Born in Venice, Antonio Vivaldi was trained in music as a child, but was ordained as a priest in 1703. Although his vocation and striking red hair earned him the moniker “Il Prete Rosso” (the Red Priest), his picturesque nickname soon became the only vestige of his priestly duties. Within a year of his ordination, Vivaldi stated that he no longer wished to celebrate the mass because of “tightness of the chest,” a condition some have attributed to angina pectoris, asthmatic bronchitis—or simply to the fact that music was the Red Priest’s true calling.
Around 1704, Vivaldi began his association with the Ospedale della Pietà, an institution with which he was connected for most of his life. Although the Ospedale was usually called an orphanage, it was in reality a home for the illegitimate daughters of Venetian noblemen, and was well financed by its “anonymous” benefactors. In addition to room, board, and an excellent education in music, the Pietà offered a creative outlet for women at a time when professional opportunities for female musicians were uncertain. The students of the Pietà played many different instruments (as one eighteenth-century writer observed, “[They] play the violin, the recorder, the organ, the oboe, the cello, the bassoon; in fact, there is no instrument large enough to frighten them”) and were considered to be among the most accomplished performers of their time. Because they were constantly in need of new music, the bulk of Vivaldi’s output—including almost 500 concertos, 46 sinfonias, 73 sonatas, chamber music and a small number of sacred compositions – was likely intended for these talented performers.
George Frideric Handel (1685–1759):
Like his friend Telemann, George Frideric Handel showed a great deal of musical promise during his childhood in Halle, but was initially encouraged to study law instead. Although he entered the University of Halle in 1702, he left a year later to become a violinist in the opera house at Hamburg. It was in this city that his first two operas, Almira and Nero, were produced in 1705, followed by Daphne and Florindo in 1708. Handel then traveled to Italy, premiering Rodrigo (1707) in Florence and Agrippina (1708) in Venice, where he may also have met Vivaldi. In Rome he studied with Corelli, and performed La Resurrezione (1709) and Il Trionfo del Tempo (1710). Early in 1710, Handel left Italy to become Kapellmeister to the Elector of Hanover, George Louis, who became King George I of England in 1714. Handel moved to London in 1712, where he remained for the rest of his life.
Handel arrived in London as a famous opera composer, but English audiences proved resistant to the genre’s charms. By the early 1730s, the assaults of critics and the notoriously lascivious lifestyles of the singers had worn down London audiences, and Handel needed to find a new medium for his art. The oratorio was the perfect solution. English oratorios were similar to opera in their use of recitative and aria, but were rarely staged, and were based on stories from the Bible in the vernacular. Handel’s addition of the chorus also resonated with London audiences, who were steeped in the English tradition of anthem-singing. Ultimately, the English oratorio cemented Handel’s reputation forever—and works such as Messiah, Judas Maccabeus and Israel in Egypt are still tremendously popular today.
In addition to his operas, oratorios and well known Coronation Anthems, written for the coronation of George II, Handel composed a great deal of instrumental music still performed today. Some of the most famous were composed for royal occasions, including Water Music, written for concerts on the Thames, and Music for Royal Fireworks. Others were published for purchase by subscription, like the Op. 6 Concerti Grossi, based on the Op. 6 collection of Corelli. After becoming blind in 1751, Handel died eight years later in London. He is buried in Westminster Abbey.