Handel and the English Chapel Royal
by Donald Burrows

Oxford University Press. (2005)
624 pages
(ISBN cloth: 0198162286)

Apart from the coronation anthems and Dixit Dominus, Handel’s church music is not particularly well known. Some of his most interesting English church music was composed for the Chapel Royal, yet much of this repertoire has never been recorded and very rarely performed. This is particularly surprising for a composer who is arguably considered a choral composer by the general musical public, especially a composer of ‘sacred’ music. Donald Burrows’ new book radically increases our knowledge of this aspect of Handel’s career, which spans from his arrival in London (his first anthem ‘As pants the hart’ dates from 1712) until his Foundling Hospital Anthem in the 1750s. Burrows takes a very thorough approach to the subject, with a wealth of detail about the history, institution, management and singers of the Chapel Royal during the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Where possible, Handel’s music is compared with relevant examples by earlier and contemporary composers’ settings of similar texts or anthems written for comparable occasions. Each of Handel’s Te Deum settings and anthems – including the coronation anthems and the Funeral anthem ‘The ways of Zion do mourn’ – are discussed thoroughly, with musical analysis, discussion of the manuscript sources, and an exploration of performance conditions.

The book’s contents are:

Part 1: History and Repertory

  1. The Chapel Royal before Handel’s Arrival in England
  2. Handel and the English Verse Anthem
  3. Handel’s Music for the Peace of Utrecht, 1713
  4. Other Chapel Royal Music from the First Period, 1712-1714
  5. Interlude, 1714-1719
  6. The King’s Return: Handel’s Re-establishment at the Chapel Royal
  7. New Versions of As pants the hart
  8. Other Chapel Royal Music from the Second Period, 1722-1726
  9. The New Reign and the 1727 Coronation
  10. The Chapel Royal and Handel’s Oratorios
  11. Princess Anne’s Wedding Anthem, 1733-1734
  12. Anthems for Other Royal Family Occasions: Two Weddings and a Funeral
  13. War and Peace: Commemorations in the 1740s
  14. Epilogue

Part 2: Institutions, Resources, and Venues

  1. The London Choirs
  2. Orchestral Accompaniment
  3. Buildings
  4. The Chapel’s Resources and Handel’s Music

Appendices:

  1. Handel’s English Church Music
  2. Membership of the Choirs of the Chapel Royal, Westminster Abbey, and St Paul’s Cathedral, 1700-1760
  3. Handel’s Chapel Royal Soloists
  4. The British Royal Family, 1702-1760
  5. Thanksgiving Services During Queen Anne’s Reign
  6. Special Services during the Reign of King George I
  7. Newspaper Reports Relating to Chapel Royal Services in 1720 and 1721
  8. Chapel Royal Services Involving Orchestral Accompaniment during the Reign of King George II
  9. Documents from the Lord Chamberlain’s Records Relating to Handel and the Chapel Royal

 

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