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Lipsia's Kantor and the Great Saxon
by Silvia Francesca Maglione
The two major composers of the transition period from the late Baroque to the early classical period are doubtlessly J.S. Bach and G.F. Haendel.
These two artists have since always been strongly connected to each other, given the fact that they were both born on the ‘annus mirabilis’ of 1685. In addition, both of them were descendants of the German Lutheran bourgeoisie, and born in between Thuringia and Saxony (Bach in Eisenach, and Haendel in Halle).
For many years these two great composers have been considered of the same musical strength, because of their similar roots. However, Bach’s and Haendel’s lives, careers and styles couldn’t have been more different.
Bach was born in one of the biggest and most musically talented German families. While Haendel’s father was a wealthy barber-surgeon, thus not in the musical profession. Bach has always lived and composed in Germany. Handel, moved young from Halle to Hamburg then to Italy to then move permanently in England, where he would have then introduced a new musical form; the English Oratorio. In the early XVII century, the works of the two differed greatly; Bach’s compositions were strictly contrapuntal and mathematically perfect (to praise the Lord), while Haendel (not religious) believed music was a supreme expression of human irrational instincts. As a Kantor, Bach could guarantee his family a merely wealthy existence, while Haendel’s fame and opulence was evident to everyone. Bach had a very strong and religious sense of family union, while Handel (agnostic) probably suffered from a latent form of homosexuality.
Obviously enough, the aspects of a composer’s personal life are determinant to discern completely the sense of their music, since personal emotions are deeply reflected in their compositions.
A common time period and location, should not be enough for the Kantor of Lipsia and the Great Saxon to be considered under the same musical aspects. It is well to distinguish a style between different composers, and not within common regions nor time periods. Words of comparison become worthless when you are to listen to Bach’s Brandenburg concertos and then Haendel’s Watermusic.
In that case, it's music who speaks
The views and opinions in this blog post are those of its author.
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