Operas in General
- Dean, Winton, and J. Merrill Knapp. Handel’s Operas, 1704–1726.New York:
Oxford U.P., 1987. V.1: xx, 751p. ISBN 0-193-15219-3. ML410 .H13 D37.
A projected second volume has not appeared. The most detailed and scholarly
work on the mature operas of Hamburg, Italy, and London, using “every con-
ceivable manuscript and relevant source.” For each opera there is a study of
the libretto, genesis, plot, reception, revisions, performance history, technical
analysis, singers, and historical context. Handel’s revisions and borrowings are
explored, along with his connection between emotions and keys. Suggestions
are given for modern staging, and various recent productions are described.
The book is also a fine source of information on the general operatic scene.
Fully documented, with brief bibliography and index. - Harris, Ellen. Handel and the Pastoral Tradition. New York: Oxford U.P.,
- vii, 304p. ISBN 0-193-15236-3. ML410 .H13 H31.
Demonstrates that the tradition of pastoral drama strongly influenced Han-
del’s work, variously according to the country he was in while composing.
Good material on the pastoral dramas of Italy, Germany, and England;
detailed attention to Handel’s pastoral operas (Florindo, Pastor fido, Acis and
Galatea); comprehensive chronology of Handel in Italy, 1706–1710. Useful
tables of harmonic structures, including some in works of other composers.
Bibliography of about 250 titles; index of names, titles, and topics. - Bianconi, Lorenzo. I libretti italiani di Georg Friedrich Händel e le loro fonti.
Quaderni della Rivista italiana di musicologia, 26. Florence: Olschki, 1992.
2v. ISBN 88-222-3926-1. ML 5 .Q13.
Offers “un testo pulito” (a clean text) of the works from 1707 to 1741. The
libretti are in Italian only; Bianconi notes that there is a satisfactory English
collection (#965), although his gathering is in fact larger, since it includes pas-
ticcios. The entire second volume is given to critical notes.
965.The Librettos of Handel’s Operas. Ed. Ellen T. Harris. New York: Garland,
1988–1989. 13v. ISBN 0-8240-3863-0. ML49 .H13 H3.
A fundamental collection, presenting complete facsimiles of 71 libretti, includ-
ing 42 premieres and 29 revisions. Rarities are included, such as the
prompter’s copy of Radamistofrom the Victoria and Albert Museum and a
hitherto unknown libretto for the 1732 Giulio Cesarerevival. A general intro-
duction in v.1 offers an overview of Handel’s operatic career and a chronology
of the operas (premieres and revivals under the composer’s direction). Individ-
ual volumes have valuable commentaries and discussions of sources. - Strohm, Reinhard. “Handel and His Italian Opera Texts.” InEssays on Han-
del(#953), 34–79.
Translation of an article that had appeared in Händel-Jahrbuch,1975–1976.
A concise summary of what had been discovered about these libretti at that
time, citing recent references.
George Frideric Handel 189