MusiLLection

A richly detailed Baroque-era painting capturing the musical atmosphere of Handel ’s time, reflecting the grandeur of his festive works and operas. Orchestral: Water Music: Suite No.1, Suite No.2, Suite No3 Music for the Royal Fireworks in D Major, HWV 351 Oratorios: Esther Athalia Alexander Balus Saul Israel in Egypt Messiah Samson Semele Belshazzar Judas Maccabaeus Solomon Jephtha Concertos: Organ Concerto No. 13 in F Major, HWV 295, ("The Cuckoo and the Nightingale" ) Organ Concerto No. 14 in A Major Oboe Concerto No. 3 in G minor Chamber music: Two oboe sonatas Twelve flute sonatas Six Concerti Grossi for strings, woodwinds and continuo, Opus 3 Six organ sonatas, Opus 4 Seven Trio Sonatas, Opus 5 Operas: Almira Rodrigo Rinaldo Giulio Cesare Rodelinda Orlando Ariodante Alcina Serse (Xerxes)

Although Messiah remains George Frideric Handel ’s most celebrated oratorio, Israel in Egypt stands among his most vivid and dramatically charged creations. Composed in 1739, the work recounts the biblical journey of a people from suffering and oppression to deliverance and victory, drawing primarily on texts from the Book of Exodus and the Psalms. Handel was a deeply religious composer, yet his spiritual outlook differed markedly from that of his contemporary Johann Sebastian Bach . Rather than addressing theological abstraction or inward devotion, Handel spoke directly to the emotions of ordinary listeners. His sacred music seeks immediacy and impact, appealing to shared human experience through clarity, gesture, and dramatic force. From its premiere, Israel in Egypt proved controversial. On one hand, it drew criticism for Handel’s well-known practice of reworking material by other composers—most famously the chorus Egypt was glad , adapted from an organ piece by Johann Kaspar K...