Saraband
in D minor, GF Haendel
George Frideric
Haendel (1685-1759)
I
find it amazing to look at this great composer's life simultaneously with
Bach's.
There is a series of coincidences
in the lives of both composers that are worth looking into.
Haendel spent most of his adult life
in London but he was born only a few miles away from Bach's birthplace
in German Saxony. For this reason, he is often referred to as the English
Bach. Both masters were born in 1685. Haendel was only one month older
than Bach. They heard about each other but they never met in person.
Haendel was famous in his lifetime. The main reason of his fame was that
he moved to London which was the capital of Music at the time.
Haendel is world famous for having
composed The Messiah. In the Master's words, "Heaven opened up and
Angels dictated the Famous Alleluia to the German composer".
The Saraband in D minor is one of
my favorite pieces. I first heard it played by Maestro Segovia in 1971.
The variations are simply genial and relatively short. The performer is
tempted to create his own extra-variations and he would like his
instrument to have unlimited projection to play certain phrases... I reluctantly
finish to play the work...unlike many works which are finished long after
they are over, the Saraband is over long before it finishes. Fantastic
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