writing
Composer: George Frideric Handel
Piece: Water Music- Movement 1 Overture
Approx. Date: 1717
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TjJ8R1ErI0
The first piece I will be looking into is George Handel’s Water Music, specifically the Overture movement that is from Suite in D major, one of three of Handel's Orchestral suites which is said to make up Water Music. As we have all come to learn Handel was really into opera and making occasional music, one of those occasions being seeking to be liked by the newest royalty. Although it’s said that he had written Water Music in 1717, he didn’t perform or share his work until he came to play for the king on the Thames river for the first time. This occasion was one to remember, for the reason being that it made me feel as if it emphasized his accomplishments in music and in this moment, helped stamp what kind of performer Handel was. From what I have read and interpreted at the time of Handel being in London, the music he composed and performed was typical, although it was more so not typical for him to be German. I think the timing for his music was pretty usual for everyone but especially himself, just because it was said that Handel was always performing and composing Italian operas and during that time it was the kind of music that was most liked and preferred by royalty. Going on to perform and basically “open” for the king in London would now be seen as a given because of how well he had done.
Listening Map:
Starting at 0:40 to 0:52 the music begins to have a deeper sound than with how it started. Something I really pictureing during this part of the movement is the people joining in. The sound is very light and you’d
think there's only a few people playing, and a few seconds later you can hear all the instruments coming together making it sound more together but heavier.
At 1:06 you hear the complete opposite for it sounds as if there is one or two people playing, but can still hear the light airy sounds of the instruments.
The most entertaining part to me comes at exactly 1:20 where the music becomes more upbeat and cheerful rather than whimsical and light. These parts of the music were the most important to me because it’s what brings that “ahh” of understanding to why people enjoyed the music to dance and feel good. In the beginning you’d compare it to elevator music, but at the one minute, 20 second mark you can picture a royal entrance!
Composer: Henry Purcell
Piece: Dido and Aeneas- Movement Overture
Approx. Date: 1688
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsznEGVB0NA
The next piece I will be digging into is one of Henry Purcell’s more well known and notable pieces, Dido and Aeneas. Purcell was well known for his operas along with his love and passion for theatre and theatrical music. Although his pieces were mixed between Italian and French styles, he was an English composer in the late baroque era. From the research that I have done everyones that’s written about Purcell mentions that he has been composing music since he was nine years old, but one of his oldest pieces was said to have been written in 1670 for a king’s birthday. There isn't an exact date for Dido and Aeneas but it is said to not have been written later than 1688. The opera was assumed
to have been based on a book by a Roman poet about the love of Dido, who was the first queen of Carthage, and the Trojan hero Aeneas, the son of a prince Anchises and the goddess Aphrodite. It was about the despair she went through, when Aeneas abandoned Dido. Through all his work Dido and Aeneas unfortunately never got it’s time to shine in theater, but to this day is still copied and played by many people.
Listening Map:
At 0:22 you can hear how soft the music is but as it creeps longer into the music at 0:42 you can feel the anticipation for the music to get more upbeat and have the instruments play stronger.
If you listen carefully around 1:30-1:48 you can really hear each instrument doing it’s part. Every time it’s played you seem to hear a new one you didn’t hear the first or second time. It’s interesting to be able to distinguish when you can hear the music speed up and slow down at just the perfect time.
The first time I got to 1:57 it sounded like I was listening to something completely different than what was playing in the beginning. When you hear the opera voices come in it just takes things to a completely different level of opera for this specific piece, due to being used to only hearing the music with no voices, let alone more than one.
Comparison:
I chose to compare these two pieces because they were both overture movements, and they both capture the listener right away with how soft they begin and slowly change with time. The first few times I had listened, I realized that the breaks they made in their pieces were similar, for both pieces began to speed up and slow down in a similar manner. One thing that I found most interesting to compare with these two
movements was the fact that Handel’s piece was all instrumental music, and Purcell’s piece had instrumental music and opera singers.
It’s fascinating to see how even with similar styles, both composers were able to do two very different things in the line of opera. Even though Handell went on to be more well known, both composers still have people looking into their music today.
References
BaroqueMusicChannel (2013, January, 25). Purcell- Overture- Dido and Aeneas. Retrieve from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsznEGVB0NA
Commonwealth Youth Orchestra (2016, August, 20). Handel-Water Music- Movement 1 Overture. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TjJ8R1ErI0
Henry Purcell. (2020, April 17). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Purcell
Water Music. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://handelhendrix.org/learn/learning-resources/handels-event-music/ water-music/