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Summary:

"The epic, dramatic story of the 18th century men and women behind the making of Handel's Messiah, one of the world's most beloved works of classical music, from a New York Times bestselling historian and National Book Critics Circle Award finalist. George Frideric Handel's Messiah is arguably the greatest piece of participatory art ever created. Adored by millions, it is performed each year by renowned choirs and orchestras as well as by fans singing along to the lyrics on their cell phones. But this work of triumphant joy was born in an age of anxiety. Britain in the early eighteenth century, the so-called age of Enlightenment, was a time of war, enslavement, political conspiracy, social polarization, and conflicts over everything from the legitimacy of government to the meaning of truth. Contrary to popular belief, the Messiah was not the product of a lone genius scribbling furiously on a musical staff. It came about because of a depressive political dissenter; an actress plagued by an abusive husband; an Atlantic sea captain and penniless philanthropist; an African Muslim man held captive in the American colonies; and Handel himself, once composer to kings but, at midlife, in ill health and straining to keep an audience's attention. Set amid royal intrigue and theatrical scandal, and exploring the rich ideas of its day, Every Valley is a cinematic drama of the entangled lives that shaped a masterpiece"-- [Provided by publisher]

Table of Contents:

• Part I Portents. "The Famous Mr. Hendel"
• "An undertaking so hazardous"
• Jacobites
• Grub Street
• Yahoos
• Part II Sorrows and Grief. The Hyp and the prodigious
• Oratorio
• "Dying by inches"
• A design for rescuing
• The book of Job
• Scorn
• Foundlings
• The return of a Prince
• Part III Resurrection. To the Hibernian Shore
• Fishamble
• "Hope is a curtail dog"
• Anthems and choruses
• Exalted
• Epilogue.

Author/Creator:

King, Charles, 1967- , author

Languages:

English

Language Notes:

Item content: English

Main Work:

Every valley: the desperate lives and troubled times that made Handel's Messiah [by King, C.]

Other Related Resources:

Online version: Every valley [by King, C.] (First edition; New York : Doubleday, 2024 — ISBN 9780385548274; LCCN 2023048535)

Subjects:

Handel, George Frideric, 1685-1759

Handel, George Frideric, 1685-1759 — Messiah

Handel, George Frideric, 1685-1759 — Performances

Great Britain — Social life and customs — 18th century

Great Britain — History — 18th century

General Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.
Description based on print version record.

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Call Numbers:

ML410.H13 K57 2024eb

ISBNs:

9780385548274 (electronic bk.)
0385548273 (electronic bk.)
9780385548267 [Invalid]
0385548265 [Invalid]

OCLC Numbers:

1464253588

Other Control Numbers:

3792892 (source: EbpS)
[Unknown Type]: ybp306711269