Baroque Era: Important Composers, Theorists, and Performers: Handel and Bach
George Friederich Handel (1685-1759, German/English)
Listen to Hallelujah:
Handel’s father intended for Handel to study law. This clearly did not happen. Handel, after completing his studies in law, went to Rome, Florence, Venice, and Naples. He studied with Corelli in Rome. Upon leaving Italy, he took a position with a British monarch, which provided him with the means to do a great deal with his compositions. He was very involved in the London opera scene. He is still considered one of England’s greatest composers.
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750, German)
Listen to Mir hat die welt:
Johann Sebastian Bach came from a musical family. His German family was well-known in their area and they were all employed as church musicians, court musicians, teachers, and instrument makers. Bach did not travel as much as his contemporaries, but many of them came to stay with him when in Leipzig. This provided numerous opportunities for collaboration and development of the musical art forms of the Baroque era. Bach’s legacy includes 48 Preludes and Fugues for the keyboard, the Art of Fugue, the Goldberg Variations, 30 Variations on a popular tune, numerous collections of chorale variations, canons and fugues, many preludes, sonatas, and concertos, 200 cantatas, the Passions, and the B-Minor Mass (four other masses were also written).
