Handel and the Baroque Era: Research Proposal

King-Lenzmeier, A.H. (2001). Hildegard of Bingen. Liturgical Press.

In many ways, the biography of Hildegard of Bingen is a compelling starting point for the discussion on baroque music. This is a novel perspective because the German nun and convent prioress lived roughly 600 years prior to the peak of the baroque period. However, she is sometimes recognized as the first known and biographied composer, recognized for the religious musical performances staged at her own convent. As the research will explore through consideration of the King-Lenzimeier (2001), these works may have a legitimate claim as the first oratorios ever composed.

Music Academy Online (MAO). (2008). Franz Joseph Haydn. Music Academy Online.com.

The text published by Music Academy Online (2008) provides an excellent overview of the life and work of Franz Joseph Haydn. Particularly, it demonstrates the influence which contemporaries of the baroque period often bore on one another, even across national boundaries.The article reports that it was when the Austrian composer traveled to London and took in Handel's Oratorio Messiah that Haydn was inclined to compose what is often considered his finest work in Creation, also an Oratorio. The article draws an explicit connection between Handel and Haydn that will be subjected to further exploration in the research.

Wolff, H.C. (1959). Mendelssohn and Handel. Oxford University Press.

The text by Wolff (1959) focuses primarily on the commitment of German composer Felix Mendelssohn to the respective bodies of work by Bach and Handel. Its focus in particular on the explicit desire on the part of Mendelssohn to aspire to the works of Handel demonstrates the persistence of Handel's influence even after his death. This….....