Handel and Bach (Turabian Citation)

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." The transition from counterpoint to harmony in the first half of the 18th century was dominated by two strikingly different composers: Fredrik Handel and Johann Sebastian Bach. While each contributed to the overall transition in music, each did so in unique and somewhat different ways. Handel was a traditionalist, and looked to the past for his inspiration, while Bach continually tried to break free of the restrictions of the past and his gaze was toward the future. Strangely enough, the media they chose to present their works seem to be somewhat contradictory. Handel, who was enamored with the past, composed works for the media of the future, public theaters and opera houses. On the other hand, Bach, who always seemed to be running from the past, composed mostly spiritual and religious music.

As previously stated, music at the beginning of the 18th century was restrictive and consisted of what has been described as "masses of harmony." (Fuller-Maitland 1902, vi) However, this traditional type of musical composition had, by the middle of the 18th century, "succeeded to the movement of interweaving parts." (Fuller-Maitland 1902, vi) With the advent of many interwoven parts of the composition, melody and the dynamics of music took on a greater importance. Instruments were gradually improved and the structure of the orchestra...

"For Handel, the older composers and his own contemporaries existed as a treasure-house from which he might appropriate the ideas he was too busy to invent for himself." (Fuller-Maitland 1902, 3) Handel was a truly international figure and his incessant traveling from one country to the next forced his to become knowledgeable and proficient in the many styles of music traditional to the many countries he visited. One description of him stated that "Handel wrote in more forms and with far more variety that any of his contemporaries." (Nichols 2008, 34) Although he was considered by himself to be a composer for the theater, Handel single-handedly revolutionized the opera. The transformation from the "pure' form of opera sera to the novel and 'mixed' form of oratorio marks Handel's career from those of his contemporaries." (Hogwood 1984, 7) Handel completely transformed opera and played a significant role in how it would progress in the years to come.
But opera was a public exposition of music, a more joyful and celebratory style. Bach was a very different type of composer with a far narrower range and "entered far more deeply into the spirit of those he knew." (Fuller-Maitland 1902, 3) Bach did not travel widely and stayed mostly in and around Germany, and his staunch Lutheranism guided his work. His work can be explained as being theological in nature and may be divided by what he believed to be the three articles of faith. The first article is about God's creation of the world, and undoubtedly Handel thought of his work in this way…