Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume VIII.djvu/451

 HANDEL 437 Mattheson's Cleopatra was performed, the au- thor, a tenor singer, taking the part of Antony. As composer he had the right to direct, and had at previous performances, after the death of the hero, come into the orchestra and taken the direction. On this evening Handel, being at the instrument, refused to give up his seat. On leaving the theatre they drew their swords upon each other in the open market place. The contest ended by the springing of Mattheson's weapon upon a broad metal button of Handel's coat. On Christmas day Reiser and others mediated between them, friendship was re- stored, Handel dined with Mattheson, and in the evening they attended together the rehearsal of Almira, which was produced Jan. 8, 1705. It ran 20 nights, until replaced by another work from the same pen, Nerone, Handel's second work for the stage. It was given but two or three times, owing to the interruption of Lent. Another work, with a most wretched text, completes the list of those which he wrote for the Hamburg stage ; but it was not given till 1708, when the author had been long in Italy, and then owing to its length was divided into two, Florinda and Dafne. During the latter part of his residence in Hamburg Handel's time was fully occupied by his pupils and his studies. In three years he had saved 200 ducats. One invitation to visit Italy without expense in the train of a prince he had declined. The win- ter of 1706-'7 he passed in Florence with a Tus- can nobleman who had known him and heard his Almira in Hamburg. A Dixit Dominus of his composition shows that he was in Rome in April, 1707. In the autumn he returned to Florence and composed Rodrigo, his first Ital- ian opera, which was received with great ap- plause. In April, 1708, he was again in Rome, as the date upon his oratorio Risurrezione proves, which was followed by a cantata, II trionfo del tempo e del disinganno. No opera being allowed at that time in Rome, his works there are confined to oratorios and church mu- sic. His refusal to change his religion alone prevented him from attaining the highest hon- ors possible for the musical artist in Rome. In the summer of 1708 he was in Naples, where he composed the original Italian Aci, Galatea e Polifemo, and other works of less importance. For the carnival in Venice in the spring of 1709 he composed the opera Agrippina, which was performed with extraordinary success. Be- ing appointed chapelmaster by the elector of Hanover, afterward George I. of England, which office he accepted on condition of being allowed to visit London, he returned to Germany, spent a year there, and arrived in England near the close of 1710. He was not'yet 25 years old, but was already famous as a performer on the organ and harpsichord, and as a composer of Italian operas. On Feb. 24, 1711, Rinaldo was given, which is said to have been composed in a fortnight, and was so much admired that the publisher cleared 1,500 by the sale of the songs and airs. The season closed June 2, and Handel returned to Hanover for a time, during which he composed most of his chamber duets ; probably also a large proportion of his instru- mental music may be referred to this period. In the summer of 1712 he returned to England, where he produced, on Nov. 26, the short pasto- ral opera II pastor fido ; Jan. 10, 1713, Teseo ; Feb. 6, "Ode on Queen Anne's Birthday;" and in the summer, the " Utrecht Te Deum," which he had completed in January preceding, and for which the queen settled upon him a pension of 200 per annum. This " Te Deum," which celebrated an event distasteful to the elector, together with Handel's prolonged stay in London, cost him for a time the favor of George. With the exception of Silla, a short opera, written for private performance at Bur- lington house, he composed no extensive score until the Amadige in 1715. Meantime Anne had died, and the elector had been crowned king of England, at whose court Handel dared not appear. By advice of Baron Killmansegge and Lord Burlington, he prepared a set of in- strumental pieces, employing all the instru- ments then in use, which were performed, Aug. 22, 1715, on occasion of a grand boat procession on the Thames in which the king took part. This music is the well known " Water Music," and its striking beauties re- stored the composer to royal favor. Another 200 was added to his salary, which was again increased by a like amount a few years later, when he undertook the musical instruction of the young princesses. In 1716 Handel went with the court to Hanover, and the only im- portant work of this year was the music to Brockes's German poem on the " Passion of Christ." On returning to London he accepted the place of music director to the duke of Chandos, for whose chapel during the next three years he composed the noble works, in three, four, and five parts, known as the "Chandos Anthems," and for whom were written his first English oratorio, " Esther," performed Aug. 29, 1720, and the English " Acis and Galatea." In February, 1719, he wrote to his brother-in- law, saying that he was detained in England by business upon which his future career de- pended. This business was an attempt to place Italian opera in London upon a firm founda- tion, under the name of the " Royal Academy of Music," by a subscription of 50,000 from the king and nobility. He went to the conti- nent, engaged a company of singers, and the royal academy opened April 2, 1720. His Radamizto, first performed here April 27, achieved great success; but his Italian col- leagues now conspired against him, the duch- ess of Marlborough and her influential wing of fashionable society siding with Bononcini. To settle the rival claims, it was decided that the latter and another Italian and Handel should each compose one act of a new three- act opera, which resulted in their joint pro- duction of Muzio Scevola, performed in April, 1721 . Although the greatest merit was award-