"A rich and evocative account of the life and work of one of the world's favorite composers. In 1712, a young German composer followed his princely master to London and would remain there for the rest of his life. That master would become King George II and the composer was George Friedrich Handel. Handel, then still only twenty-seven and largely self-taught, would be at the heart of musical activity in London for the next four decades, composing masterpiece after masterpiece, whether the glorious coronation anthem, Zadok, the Priest, operas such as Rinaldo and Alcina, or the great oratorios, culminating, of course, in Messiah. Here, Jane Glover, who has conducted Handel's work in opera houses and concert halls throughout the world, draws on her profoundunderstanding of music and musicians to tell Handel's story. It is a story of music-making and musicianship, but also of courts and cabals, of theatrical rivalries and eighteenth-century society. It is also the story of some of the most remarkable music ever written, music that has been played, sung, and loved throughout the world for three hundred years. "--Dust jacket.
