Introduction: Genres of Opera, Styles of Dance
Handel's Operas of the 1710s
The Royal Academy Operas
Handel and the London Theater, 1729-35
Theatrical Dance and Opera in London, 1735-55
The French Connection
Pastoral versus Heroic: Handel's Operas with Dance
Epilogue: Opera Dance in a Changing Marketplace
Appendix 1: A Study of Handel's Compositional Process
Appendix 2: Theater and Dance Chronology
Places Handel's creative decisions in the wider context of European
dance traditions and dance on the London stage, frequently
referring to contemporary documents. Answers questions such as how
the dissemination of French dances through choreographies or
through chamber music might have been reflected in the dance types
Handel used in his operas, hence addressing how far the types of
dances he employed related to public taste.
*EARLY MUSIC*
Impeccably researched. An exemplary model of how to breathe new
life into operas that have been studied as a [purely] vocal
repertory. [McCleave's] findings will no doubt be of consequence
for singers and opera directors looking to revive Handel's operas.
Offers an extraordinary amount of useful information. A valuable
resource for any dance, theater, or music historian of
eighteenth-century England.
*MUSIC LIBRARY ASSOCIATION NOTES*
The first full-length study of the subject, likely to transform the
traditional view. Weaves a rich tapestry from relationships between
Handel's output and the presence of dance in the contemporary
theatrical scene. . . .The book explore[s] virtually every aspect
of dance in Handel's operas. Packed with fresh information. The
amount of fresh, detailed information greatly enhances our view of
dance and spectacle [in this repertoire]. Anyone interested in
Handel's dances -- not only scholars but also performers,
conductors, and directors -- will find [this book] essential. An
impressive and much-needed piece of scholarship, this book deserves
a warm welcome.
*JOURNAL OF MUSICOLOGICAL RESEARCH*
A data-rich study dealing in uncertainties and ambiguities. . . .
Instructive and often revelatory.
*MUSICAL TIMES*
Dance was a significant area of overlap between opera and other
theatrical genres staged in London during the first half of the
eighteenth century, and an integral part of the theatrical
experience. In Dance in Handel's London Operas, Sarah McCleave
shows Handel as the consummate theatrical professional,
illuminating his work with and for dancers. --Kathryn Lowerre,
author of Music and Musicians on the London Stage, 1695-1705
*.*
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