Ode For St. Cecilia's Day (Handel)
Ode for St. Cecilia's Day (HWV 76) is a cantata composed by George Frideric Handel in 1739, his second setting of the poem by the English poet John Dryden. The title of the oratorio refers to Saint Cecilia, the patron saint of musicians. The main theme of the text is the Pythagorean theory of harmonia mundi, that music was a central force in the Earth's creation. The premiere was on 22 November 1739 at the Theatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields, London.
Ebenezer Prout commented on various facets of Handel's instrumentation in the work. Edmund Bowles has written on Handel's use of timpani in the work.
Read more about Ode For St. Cecilia's Day (Handel): Movements
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