Interview With Handel and Bach

Interview With Handel and Bach

The first half of the 18th century was a time of tumultuous change in the musical arts. In the five or so decades that spanned that period, almost everything associated with music changed dramatically. At the start of the 18th century, music was restricted by what was known as "counterpoint," and the laws of counterpoint kept music constricted and tight. But by the second half of the 18th century, music had been liberated by an emphasis on what is known as "harmony." Two composers who had a major influence on the style of music that has been called "classical" are Frederik Handel and Johan Sebastian Bach. These two composers were not only contemporaries, but were born in the same year: 1685, and were instrumental in the change of classical music from the restriction of "counterpoint" to the liberation of "harmony."

Question 1: Where does the inspiration for your compositions come from?

Handel: As you know, I was truly an international figure who was constantly traveling from country to country. As a result, I was forced to become knowledgeable and proficient in many different kinds of music that were traditional in the different countries I visited. It has been said of me that I "wrote in more forms and with far more variety than any of [my] contemporaries." (Nichols 34) You could say that I was the first real international composer.

Bach: Germany was my home and I never traveled much outside of it. I was also a staunch Lutheran, and religion is one of the major inspirations in my life. My work is considered to be theological in nature and the three articles of faith are extremely important in my compositions. The first article involves God's creation of the world while the second can be described as "salvation," or the belief that Christ died for our sins. In fact, I the music I composed has been identified "with the history of salvation through Jesus Christ." (Geck 658) Finally, the third article of faith is the Holy Ghost, or the spirit of God.

Question 2: When looking at your work, what can be considered to be the main themes?

Handel: Unlike my contemporary Bach, I did not limit myself, to religious themes, geography, or audiences. I composed my music for mainly a secular, or non-religious audience, primarily in the theater, and who looked to the future. But it was not only the theater that I wrote for, it has been said that I revolutionized the opera and transformed it from the "pure' form of opera sera to the novel and 'mixed' form of oratorio." (Hogwood 7) if there is one term that can describe my work it must be "secular," religion was not the source of my art.

Bach: Well, religion is a major theme in my work. It could be because I did not travel as extensively as Mr. Handel and was not exposed to the different types of music, or it could be because I was a truly religious person at heart, but I used my art to celebrate my Christianity. Some say that I anchored my themes in the past, while Handel focused on the future. And while Handel composed for the public, theaters and operas, I composed my work primarily for the Church as a manifestation of spirituality and my devotion to God.

Question 3: What do you think you should be remembered for?

Handel: It would not be correct to say that religion had absolutely no influence on me or my works, but I did not allow it to limit or restrict my compositions. I am considered to be a truly cosmopolitan composer, with influences coming from all over Europe. Unlike others, I broke away from strictly religious works and revolutionized both music for the theater and opera.

Bach: I would like to be remembered as a traditionalist who revolutionized music through an obsession with the past. As I was born in a time when religion was the main source of inspiration, I continued that tradition but with a transformation of music through three great innovations: tempered tuning, the art of fugue, and unaccompanied works for violin and cello. Unlike my contemporary, I composed mainly instrumentals and stayed away from the more public-based venues like theater and opera.