George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) may have been born on German soil (Halle), but his musical heart, as expressed in his vocal works, took its inspiration from Italy. In 1706 Handel traveled to Italy in a princely retinue, meeting such leading musical figures as Corelli and the Scarlattis. He spent time in Rome developing his mastery of Italian style in opera, chamber music and vocal music. At that time, a papal ban on opera forced composers to create either sacred works or secular chamber cantatas: florid pieces in operatic style that satisfied the appetites of the Italian public and its opera singers for vocal showcases while skirting the church’s prohibition. Among Handel’s initial Roman patrons was Marchese Francesco Maria Ruspoli, one of the city’s most wealthy aristocrats. Handel lived in Ruspoli’s palace for several months in 1707-1708. There he composed several secular cantatas, ...
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