Counterfactual Bach & Handel

[LeMartinPecheur]

So, if Handel had not moved from Hanover, his career and output would have been completely different from what he actually did achieve.

Care to speculate on how the career and output would have differed, fhg??

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Care to speculate on how the career and output would have differed, fhg??

Well, no Coronation (or Chandos) Anthems and fewer oratorios (writing Cantatas instead, perhaps) - more instrumental Music? A similar career to that of Telemann, perhaps; dependent (at least in the early stages of his career) on wealthy patronage and less self-reliant than he was in London. If he'd stayed at Hanover, he'd probably still have written operas - although, if he'd stayed with the Elector of Hanover he might have ended up in Britain anyway! - but if he'd moved to a different post before George became King of England ... ??? (Hey! What if he'd got the Dresden job, Telemann ended up at Leipzig, and Bach had stayed in Kothen?!)

[richardfinegold]

Well, no Coronation (or Chandos) Anthems and fewer oratorios (writing Cantatas instead, perhaps) - more instrumental Music? A similar career to that of Telemann, perhaps; dependent (at least in the early stages of his career) on wealthy patronage and less self-reliant than he was in London. If he'd stayed at Hanover, he'd probably still have written operas - although, if he'd stayed with the Elector of Hanover he might have ended up in Britain anyway! - but if he'd moved to a different post before George became King of England ... ??? (Hey! What if he'd got the Dresden job, Telemann ended up at Leipzig, and Bach had stayed in Kothen?!)

Bach couldn't have stayed in Kothen because his Patron there married a non music loving b**** that made him ax his Orchestra.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Bach couldn't have stayed in Kothen because his Patron there married a non music loving b**** that made him ax his Orchestra.

Indeed.

[doversoul1]

(Hey! What if he'd got the Dresden job, Telemann ended up at Leipzig, and Bach had stayed in Kothen?!)

…or if Bach hadn’t missed Handel (where was that?) and Handel had said to Bach, ‘Look, pack it all in and come to London with me and we can run an opera company together (or had Handel already moved on to oratorios by then?)’…’

[Pulcinella]

Given the title of the thread, did either of them write a contrafactum (or has had one applied to one of their works)?

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

…or if Bach hadn’t missed Handel (where was that?) and Handel had said to Bach, ‘Look, pack it all in and come to London with me and we can run an opera company together (or had Handel already moved on to oratorios by then?)’…’

Could have done - the non-meetings were in 1719 (when Bach travelled to Halle) and 1729 (when WF Bach went to visit Handel to invite him to see his father) - Handel's "run" of oratorios began in the 1730s.

Another "what if ... ?": What if either Handel or Bach had said "Okay, Herr Buxtehude, I'll marry your daughter."?!