Purcell, Handel, Haydn and Mendelssohn: anniversary reflections

Conference item

This conference combined a consideration of four major composers Purcell, Handel, Haydn and Mendelssohn. Each composer had a relevant anniversary in 2009 – Purcell, 350 years after birth; Handel, 250 years after death; Haydn, 200 years after death; and Mendelssohn, 200 years after birth – and this co-incidence of events allowed us to do two things. The first was to examine the effect that such tercentenaries have on the way a composer’s reputation is developed. The second was to be able to develop some very clear ideas on reception history, and to address the changes in the way in which the musical works of all four composers have been received by the public, both in London and on the continent. Most importantly, however, the conference explored the connection between all four composers found in the development of 19th-century English choralism, and the rise of English choral Society. We therefore encouraged papers that linked the four composers in areas such as 19th-century reception, recorded music, and biography. However, we welcomed presentations on all facets of their music, the call for papers specifically listing individual composer sessions, and in the individual composers in context.

• Publisher: "Royal Musical Association", "Faculty of Music, University of Oxford"
• Publication date: 2009-01-01
• Event location: New College, Oxford
• Subjects: Purcell; 2009; Mendelssohn; Haydn; anniversary; Handel