A Comparative Study between Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel

Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel were some(prenominal) baroqueness composers who utilise the Italian and French styles that were the basic language of the Baroque. The conceive of Bach and Handel is interesting beca design of their marked similarities and subtle differences. Bach and Handel were of Saxon ancestry. They came from inhabit t suffers, Bach from Eisenach, Handel from H entirelye, and were born except one month apart in the very(prenominal) year, Handel in February, Bach in March, 1685 (Young, 1962). They were both know of concerto in alone its familyssonatasuitefugueoperacantataboth sublime and secularoratoriomasspassion.Both Bach and Handel learnt their art by qualification copies of altogether the whole caboodle of acknowledged masters. Bach and Handel were studious copyists throughout their lives. excessively Johann Christoph, Bach took as models the Italians, Frescobaldi, Corelli, Vivaldi, Lotti, Caldara, Legrenzi, Marcello and many othe rs. His special interests led to keyboard medication, to violin medical specialty and to chorale euphony. Handel, under Zachau, made an anthology of excerpts from Froberger, Kerll,Strungck, Johann Krieger. During his later cargoner he was influenced by Alessandro Stradella, Giacomo Carissimi, Georg Muffatt, Karl Heinrich Graun, Giovanni Clari and others.Though they sound like brilliant stars rising at the selfsame(prenominal) time, they charted their distinguishable paths in medicinal drug according to their individual natures. There was no tuneful tradition in Handels family, his father was a prosperous surgeon who int shutdown George Frideric for the Law on the other have members of the Bach dynasty had been for generations conspicuous in musical theater affairs in Thuringiaevering. Bach remained within the boundaries of his Saxon homeland throughout his life and was a good citizen and was the father of twenty children.Handel, on the other hand was the man of the world, honored all over Europe. He was bold and outgoing in nature. The one tragic similarity in their lives is that they both went blind at the end of their lives (Young, 1962). While Bachs grave was forgotten, Handel, who died gild years later, in 1759, was laid to rest in the English pantheon, Westminster Abbey. In those days, music was solely written for the sole purpose of immediate per var.ance, its deliverance beyond that mo manpowert being a secondary consideration. Occasional or commissioned conk used to be the rule.Bach wrote his cantatas for the services of St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, and Handel wrote his operas for special performances and strictly to suit the shares of the individualnel that happened to be available. Bachs work was mostly un accepted and neglected for many generations till the nineteenth century. He was recognized as a heavy(p) musician by the world only 75 years after his death. The later eighteenth century knew Bach primarily as an implemental comp oser who wrote especially for the pipe organ and the piano (Bekker, 1927). People tended to interpret Bachs from diverse viewpoints.Bach used to be considered a contrapuntist pure and simple, a learned musician who treated music as a sort of mathematics (Bekker, 1927). From this viewpoint, Bach waited to be principally a servant of the church, a sort of Protestant Palestrina who excessively wrote secular music. Later it became app arnt that he could non after all be counted simply as a composer of Church music, so he was looked upon as a romantic poet. The romanticists, decl atomic number 18d that Bach was the archromanticist, and should be interpret with the utmost feeling and expression.Some felt that Bachs music was inherently emotional (Bekker, 1927). whatever the angle of perception, Bach came to be regarded as the keen builder of musical form. Contrastingly, Handel, the cosmopolitan composer and impresario, was internationally famous in his own lifetime. He was genera lly a writer of oratorios (Young, 1962). His implemental compositions were not considered serious enough for study. The Italian operas which he compose in were considered worthless in the eyes of the critics of that terminus (Bekker, 1927).Today however, things have changed and Handels operas are in the repertoire of nearly every great opera-house (Bekker, 1927). Bach used a personal synthesis of the Flemish and Italian styles with German counterpoint, Handel showed a strong early inclination toward the extroverted and spectacular world of Italian opera (Krantz, 2007). In short, it can be verbalise that Bach looked inward and Handel outward. Bach composed cantatas and organ music and, by his genius and talent for seeing holistic symbolism in row and music, he extended the character of his models (Young, 1962).Handel, more fluent, more rhetorical, and a part with agent with his way to make in the world seized the formalized patterns of fun music in secular cantata, in oratorio , in opera, and in meansal music (Young, 1962). Both Bach and Handel had different personalities. Bach was an introvert whereas Handel was an extrovert. Handel assimilated the discordant national styles and nail downd in each of them separately. Bach assimilated the various influences with his own personal style and arrived at a fusion of national styles in which the single elements are inseparable (Dorak, 2002).The main works of Handel are his operas, written from an universal perspective for an international public. The main works of Bach are his cantatas, written for the local churches, and his passions, the monuments of his liturgical severity. Handel, being a widely travelled musician has visited many international centers of music. Bach, on the other hand limit himself within the limits of central Germany. Bachs great works allow the Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor, most of the great preludes and fugues, and the 45 chorale-preludes poised in Das Orgelbuchlein the littl e organ book.His instrumental compositions are the chromatic Fantasy and Fugue the English Suites the French Suites the Two-Part and Three-Part Inventions and Book I of the noteworthy Well-Tempered Clavier. He also wrote several unaccompanied violin sonatas and cello suites, and the Brandenburg Concertos, recognized as the best concerti grossi ever composed. The St. John affectionateness was performed (1723) at Leipzig and his Magnificat was presented suddenly after he assumed that post.Many more of his superb religious compositions followed the St. Matthew Passion (1729), the Christmas Oratorio, the sonorous Mass in B Minor, and the six motets. The principal keyboard works of this period were Book II of The Well-Tempered Clavier and the four books of clavier pieces in the Clavierubung and the Goldberg Variations. His last notable compositions were the musical theater Offering composed (1747) for Frederick the Great and The wile of the Fugue (1749). In all his positions as choir director, Bach composed sacred cantatasa total of some 300, of which nearly 200 are extant.There are also over 30 secular cantatas, composed at Leipzig, among them Phoebus and Pan (1731). The bulk of his work is religious. In his instrumental and choral works he perfected the art of polyphony, displaying an unmatched combination of inventiveness and maintain in his great, striding fugues (The Columbia Encyclopedia, 2004a). Handels 46 operas include much of his finest music among them are Julius Caesar (1724), Atalanta (1736), Berenice (1737), and Serse (1738), which contains the tenor aria now known as Largo. Handels opera, Messiah was presented in capital of Ireland in 1742.An fundamentally contemplative work, it stands apart from the rest of his 32 oratorios, which are dramatically conceived, and its immense popularity has resulted in the erroneous conception of Handel as principally a church composer. Other outstanding oratorios are Acis and Galatea (1720), Esther (1732), Isr ael in Egypt (173637), capital of Minnesota (1739), and Judas Maccabeus (1747). He also composed about 100 Italian pi visual sense cantatas numerous orchestral works, and the anthem Zadok, the Priest (1727) for the coronation of George II, which has been used for all subsequent coronations (The Columbia Encyclopedia, 2004b).There is one particular text that was set to music by both Bach and Handel. This is Eilt ihr angefochtnen Seelen in the Passion Oratorio (by Handel) and in the St. John Passion (by Bach). They used the same key and the same in writing(p) representation of haste, and the choral interjections at dramatic points are also common. Bukofzer, however, has opined that Handels music is inferior because it lacks the highly individual stamp that distinguished Bach from all other composers (Dorak, 2002). When one considers their particular musical styles, Johann Sebastian Bachs music is not pompous, not theatrical it is not court music, not gala music.His music was essenti ally introspective music he did not think of the audience for whom he composed his music is the product of his inner(a) reflections. It is an outward expression of his brotherly feelings. Even in the most grandiose and eloquent moments of his Passions he sleek over remains intimate. Bachs music thus addressed itself mainly to the connoisseur. Handel wrote for the world, for the court, for the stage. His music is naturally brilliant he has the gift for clear sonorities and omnipotent rhythms, which make a physical impression on the crowd, exalt and channelise it away.His breadth and simplicity of design make his work illuminating, he is popular. only Bachs art is one that aims to say many things in an instant in a single word (Landormy & Martens, 1927). This richness sometimes made it herculean for people to understand and appreciate. Handel focuses most on the harmonic clarity of his tout ensemble he makes choice of what he wishes to say, he is sober, concise He prefers to u se the simple air of accompanied monody rather than polyphonic complexities (Landormy and Martens, 1927).Dynamic patterns in music were principally of two types the melodic, which made use mainly of the voice and is known as thorough-bass, and the contrapuntal, which made use mainly of instruments and is mistakenly called polyphony (Bekker, 1927). On the superficial level, one may find that Bach is a composer of instrumental music in contrapuntal style and Handel on the other, a composer of oral music music in thoroughbass style. Some might classify the work of Bach, the pious man as subjective and Handel, the worldly man as an objective type. But these distinctions are not firmly based.Both were religious men who were also practical in their approach. They were both introspective as tumefy as objective and both wrote candid as well as instrumental music, and both made use of thorough-bass as well as of contrapuntal forms. They figured bass and counterpoint, and although they per formed individually, they were also teachers in singing. They fifty-fifty chose to specialize in the same musical instrument the organ. Bach lead his sheepfold in the singing of cantatas on Sundays or the Passions on high holidays at St. Thomass church at Leipzig much in the same way as Handel conducted his operas and his oratorios (Bekker, 1927).Bachs music can be termed as intensive melodies whereas Handels music can be termed extensive melodies. Bach uses very gravid contrapuntal texture with complex and chromatic harmonies. On the other hand Handel uses a simple template for his expressions and hence his work is meant for instant sensuous appreciation. The extensive quality of Handels melodies allows his music to be amplified whereas this is not possible in the case of Bachs music. Amplification would destroy the transparency of the contrapuntal process. The vocal theatrical role of Bachs music is very difficult to perform.There are quarantined movements and awkward interva ls. There is no overlapping between the instrumental and vocal lines. In fact, the free-voiced choral polyphony of Handel and the strictly linear, instrumentally conceived polyphony of Bach form the two poles of late Baroque music (Bekker, 1927). Handel considers the flow of ideas more most-valuable than elaboration whereas to Bach, elaboration is more important. The fast changing textures in his choral writing clearly indicate that for Handel, counterpoint is only a factor to a dramatic end (Krantz, 2007). On the contrary, Bach takes it as an end in itself which must be consistent.By nature of its conception, Handels counterpoint reaches its visor through the vocal medium. Handels work depends so much on the vocal divisor so much so even his keyboard fugues seem to call for text and become most excellent in vocal form. This accounts for the success of Handel in vocal music (Krantz, 2007). Bach is more nice at the instrumental form. Bach prefers to submit his choral polyphony t o an instrumental standard. To quote Tevfik Dorak In the flexibility of his choral idiom, Handel surpasses Bach in the same measure as Bach surpasses Handel in contrapuntal consistency (Dorak, 2002).One of the study differences between them lay in their individual conception of tone. A person who conceives tone vocally will also feel instrumental music as vocal, and the person who conceives tone instrumentally will also feel vocal music as instrumental. Some comparative features among the two great masters are as follows (Dorak, 2002)Bach conceived tone instrumentally and Handel vocally.Bach focused a lot on spiritual music and created profoundly religious cantatas, passions and masses. Handel treated even religious theme based oratorios such as the Messiah with a theatrical effect. This was more popular to the middle class audience.The vocal component of his music was used essentially as a melodic instrument with the most intricate demands of counterpoint expected of it. Handels w riting for the voice is wholly idiomatic and the freer contrapuntal textures are more vocally conceived and are contrasted with in good order choral writing.Handel demonstrates the Italian conservatism in his music and uses very simplified form. Bach is conservative in his adherence to the complex polyphonic texture, but progressive in his choice of modern forms, such as the concerto form of Vivaldi. Similarly, the organ style of Handel is clearly influenced by the idiom of the harpsichord as the opposite is true for Bach.Bach is think to the immediate future in his status because of modern day focus on instrumental music, while Handel is related to the past(a). On the other hand the melodic, homophonic figured bass elect by Handel is more relevant to modern music than Bachs contrapuntal style. thence both these composers are in some ways relevant to the past and in some other ways relevant to the future. The two great masters of the Baroque period were not beyond criticism.B ach was criticized because he was too intellectual and, paradoxically, because an excess of reason conflicted with the aesthetic precepts of the Age of Reason. Handel was criticized for exceeding the accomplished in the extras which he introduced into his orchestration to underline his dramatic appreciation of blastoff and situation. Whatever be the criticisms, it remains undeniable that these two masters of Baroque were outstanding in their natural talent. Though they belonged to the same place and same period and produced musical works of similar genre, they differed in their styles of expression.This difference in truth was a major asset to these great masters who remained true to their inner beliefs. The honesty of expression combined with their outstanding talents has helped define baroque music.BibliographyDorak, Tevfik (2002). Handel and JS Bach. http//www. dorak. selective information/music/jsbgfh. htmlBukofzer MF. Music in the Baroque Era. WW Norton & Company Inc. NY, 19 74, pp. 345-9.Krantz, Allen (2007). George Frideric Handel. http//www. classicalarchives. com/bios/handel_bio. html Landormy, capital of Minnesota and Martens, H. Frederick (1927).A History of Music. Charles Scribners Sons. saucy York. 1927. The Columbia Encyclopedia (2004a).Bach, Johann Sebastian. Sixth Edition. Columbia University Press. hot York. 2004 The Columbia Encyclopedia (2004b).Handel, George Frideric. Sixth Edition. Columbia University Press. New York. 2004. Young, M. Percy. (1962).The Choral usance An historical and analytical survey from the sixteenth century to the present day. W. W. Norton Publishing. New York 1962. Bekker, Paul (1927).The Story of Music An Historical Sketch of the Changes in Musical Form. Translated by Alice Kortschak and Herter Norton. W. W. Norton and Company Inc. New York. 1927.