Handel in London - by Jane Glover (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

In 1712, a young German composer followed his princely master to London and would remain there for the rest of his life. at master would become King George II and the composer was George Frideric Handel.

Handel, then still only twenty-seven and largely self-taught, would be at the heart of musical activity in London for the next four decades, composing masterpiece after masterpiece, whether the glorious coronation anthem, Zadok the Priest, operas such as Rinaldo and Alcina or the great oratorios, culminating, of course, in Messiah.

Jane Glover, who has conducted Handel's work in opera houses and concert halls throughout the world, draws on her profound understanding of music and musicians to tell Handel's story. It is a story of music-making and musicianship, but also of courts and cabals, of theatrical rivalries and eighteenth-century society. It is also the story of some of the most remarkable music ever written, music that has been played, sung, and loved throughout the world for three hundred years.

Review Quotes

"Glover brings all her knowledge and experience to bear in this thorough and revealing work about the proli c and prodigious George Frideric Handel. Lush and illuminating--a lovely structure built on a solid foundation of research, expertise, and a ection." --Kirkus Reviews

"A biography of such gusto and brilliance that it is as pleasurable as informative. She brings Handel's times and most constant collaborators, sponsors, and antagonists to vivid life as she keeps the rather-elusive maestro, who wrote almost nothing about himself, firmly in focus." --Booklist (starred)

About the Author

Jane Glover, author of Mozart's Women, has had a long and hugely successful career as a conductor. She has been Music Director of the Glyndebourne Touring Opera, Artistic Director of The London Mozart Players, and has conducted all the major symphony and chamber orchestras in Britain. She appears regularly at the BBC Proms and is a regular broadcaster for television series on Mozart. She lives in London.