Digitized: Treasures from Handel's Haunt!
Digitalized Archives of Historical Manuscripts - Commission participates in drafting directive's creation.
You bet your sweet bippy! The historical manuscript collection at Georg Friedrich Handel's old stomping ground in Halle is now available in digital form, and it's a sight — or rather, read — to behold!
Jens Wehmann, the librarian of the Handel House, spilled the beans to the German Press Agency, sharing that around 2,500 objects, including 800 musical manuscripts, have been digitized. And guess what's the cream of the crop? A decadent very early copy of the Coronation Anthems of the English kings from 1730! This bad boy contains 160 pages and could've fetched around 20,000 euros at the luxe auction house Christie's in London in 2023, if loving Handel ain't everything.
Among the digitized documents, there's more than just Handel's goody-goody compositions. Manuscripts by numerous Halle musicians, including Robert Franz, Carl Loewe, Johann Friedrich Reichardt, and Samuel Scheidt, have beenincluded. Many of these manuscripts have a strong connection to Handel, such as correspondence from Robert Franz, an active Handel editor during his time.
Back in 2017, around 1,500 graphics were also digitized. From Handel himself, to Halle buildings, old city plans, and city views from the 18th/19th centuries, interested parties can now snoop on these historical copperplate engravings online. Catchy, huh?
Now, here's a splash of cold water: the museum doesn't own any originals of Handel. But hey, the digital collection is still a musical marvel!
As we approach the Handel Festival, running from June 6 to 15, with the theme "Fresh Wind: Young Handel in Italy," don't forget that this brawling baroque bard was born in Halle. After bopping around various places, including Italy, he spent most of his life in London, where his soul found its final rest in 1759 at Westminster Abbey. Among his rich operatic and oratorio oeuvre, you might recognize works such as the choral piece "Messiah" and the "Water" and "Royal Fireworks" Musics.
- Georg Friedrich Handel
- Music
- Halle
- London
- Handel Festival
[1] - Handel's manuscripts available at Alamy and similar stock photo platforms[2] - Additional documents and materials preserved in the Handel House archives
- Despite the EC countries not being explicitly mentioned in the text, one could imagine that the digitized documents and historical artifacts related to Georg Friedrich Handel could potentially be of interest to scholars and enthusiasts from various vocational training programs focused on historical research, musicology, or art history across Europe.
- In the spirit of Handel's roots in Halle, a city known for its rich music history, one might envision a lively entertainment scene during the Handel Festival each June, perhaps even featuring contemporary musicians performing some of Handel's renowned masterpieces, such as "Messiah," alongside modern compositions inspired by the baroque master.
