Handel, Revised Edition
by Christopher Hogwood
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Book Summary Information
Author: Christopher HogwoodEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2007-07-30
ISBN: 0500286817
Number of pages: 312
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Book Reviews of Handel, Revised Edition
Book Review: Accurate, detailed, readable - and finely printed
Summary: 5 Stars
Christopher Hogwood: Handel. Revised Edition. Chronological Table by Anthony Hicks. With 100 illustrations, 10 in color. New York: Thames and Hudson, 2007. (First published 1985). 324 pages.
I had read a couple of Handel biographies before obtaining Christopher Hogwood's book, but this is by far the best, both for detail and accuracy and for sheer readability. With the help of a good deal of 18th (and sometimes 19th) century literature which he quotes verbatim whenever it seems appropriate (but without overburdening his text with footnotes), Christopher Hogwood takes five long chapters to describe in great fulness the known facts - and some speculative ones - of the life of Handel from his birth through to his death in London in 1759. Hogwood limits himself to narrative and does not begin interpreting Handel's music, nor does he discuss in too much detail the ins and outs of when Handel changed this or that aria. This provides a very good overview of the events of Handel's life and of the people he was involved with. Handel's works are, of course, mentioned in the order they were composed, but Hogwood does not descend to giving summaries of opera plots; he is more interested in informing us how the individual operas and oratorios were received and to pass on any detail about the audience or about press reactions. There is quite a lot about the singers, too, although I never found this confusing.
In his sixth chapter, "Handel and Posterity", Hogwood takes a critical look at the developments in the reception of Handel's music. He shows how it came to pass that only a few of Handel's works were ever performed in the 19th century and why they were usually performed with forces that were much bigger than anything Handel himself ever envisaged. He traces the development through until the 1980's, when the book was originally published. What has gone on in the world of performance and recording since that time is neatly summarized in an additional chapter written for the revised edition, which also has a bibliographical supplement. The book has a comprehensive index, and is very well printed: I found only one spelling mistake in the whole book, and that in a German word ("Diens" instead of "Dienst").
This is excellent material, much easier to read and much more fascinating, in my opinion, than say, Christoph Wolff's biography of Johann Sebastian Bach (which I found such hard going that I put it aside after about 150 pages). If you want to be thoroughly informed about Handel's life and doings, then buy this book!
Summary of Handel, Revised Edition
A revised edition of "the clear biography of choice for anyone interested in one of the great figures of music.-The New York Times Book ReviewGeorge Friedrich Handel remains one of the unchallenged geniuses of musical history. Yet many revealing and fascinating aspects of his work have been obscured by generations of adulation, prejudice, or misinterpretation. Christopher Hogwood takes us back to the original Handel, blending the evidence from documents of all kinds with judicious biographical observations as well as a delightful selection of illustrations.
The result is a comprehensive and entertaining portrait of the developing character and career of Handel, with an important concluding chapter that traces the progress of the Handel legend down to our own time, and a chronological table compiled by Anthony Hicks that outlines major events in the composer's life and musical career. 100 illustrations, 10 in color.
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