THE 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL MUSICIANS OF ALL TIME

7 The 100 Most Influential Musicians of All Time 7

opera seria was constructed. Using these conventions, he
produced Italian operas, such as Giulio Cesare (1724), Sosarme
(1732), and Alcina (1735), which still make impressive stage
spectacles.
But Handel’s oratorios now seem even more dramatic
than his operas, and they can generally be performed on
the stage with remarkably little alteration. Most of them,
from early attempts such as Esther to later works such as
Saul, Samson, Belshazzar, and Jephtha, treat a particular
dramatic theme taken from the Hebrew Bible that illus-
trates the heroism and suffering of a particular individual.
The story line is illustrated by solo recitatives and arias
and underlined by the chorus. With Israel in Egypt and
Messiah, however, the emphasis is quite different, Israel
because of its uninterrupted chain of massive choruses,
which do not lend themselves to stage presentation, and
Messiah because it is a meditation on the life of Christ the
Saviour rather than a dramatic narration of his Passion.
Handel also used the dramatic oratorio genre for a number
of secular works, chief among which are Semele, Hercules,
and Acis and Galatea, all based on stories from Greek
mythology.
Handel’s most notable contribution to church music
is his series of large-scale anthems. Foremost of these are
the 11 Chandos Anthems. Closely following these works are the
four Coronation Anthems for George II, the most celebrated
of which is Zadok the Priest.
Most of the orchestral music Handel wrote consists of
overtures, totaling about 80 in number. Handel was equally
adept at the concerto form, especially the concerto grosso.
His most important works of this type are the Six Concerti
Grossi (known as The Oboe Concertos), Opus 3, and the Twelve
Grand Concertos, which represent the peak of the Baroque
concerto grosso for stringed instruments. The Water Music
and Fireworks Music suites, for wind and string band, stand in