As one of music history’s greatest melodists, George Frideric Handel left behind ripe material for later composers. For example, consider the way allusions to the iconic Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah resurfaced in the music of composers such as Mendelssohn, Brahms, and Mahler.
Brahms’ Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel is based on the Aria con variazioni which concludes Handel’s Suite in B-flat Major, HWV 434 for solo keyboard. With this monumental piece, the 28-year-old Brahms paid homage to his predecessor, and then left his own mark.
It was the opening Prelude from the Suite in B-flat Major which inspired the twentieth century English composer, Sir Michael Tippett (1905-1998) to write his Fantasia on a Theme of Handel. Completed in 1941, the piece is scored for piano and orchestra. Before we listen to Tippett’s music, let’s hear Handel’s theme in its original form, adorned with brilliant ornamentation:
The thematic outline of Handel’s Prelude, stripped of its ornamentation, provides the seed for Tippett’s new piece. The theme, in its purest form, can be heard at the beginning and the end of the piece. In between are a series of far-flung youthful adventures, which hint occasionally at the Romanticism of Rachmaninov:
Recordings
- Handel: Suite in B-flat Major, HWV 434, Michael Borgstede michaelborgstede.com
- Tippett: Fantasia on a Theme of Handel, Steven Osborne, Martyn Brabbins, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra Amazon
Featured Image: the facade of the London house where Handel lived
I am not trained at all in music. I am nearly 65 now. For the last 20 or so years after inheriting my wife’s grandmother’s classical LP collection I have been a sponge for more and more classical and other genres as well– jazz, broadway/show tunes, film scores.
Your newsletter/blog adds tremendously to my learning and I thank you for that. Some of what you offer I have in my collection, which has grown considerably since getting that first collection, and some is brand new to me. I think nearly all of the composers you offer I know of at least if not already familiar with those compositions and I appreciate that you offer a sample of that “new” composer that I have not heard. So you are either adding something new to what I already know or giving me something completely new to explore.
Keep up the good work or should I say good “play” for I feel that you really enjoy doing this and hope you do it for a long time to come. Thank you , again.
Take care,
James Eckess
Thank you, James! I’m really glad you are enjoying The Listeners’ Club!