Bach and Handel, Their Musical Languages

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A 6 page research paper that contrasts and compares these 2 great composers. It is interesting that George Fredric Handel and Johann Sebastian Bach were both born in the same year, 1685, but their musical languages are very different. As Joseph Machlis points out, "If Bach represents the subjective mysticism of the late Baroque, Handel incarnates its worldly pomp," which is a fact that is primarily due to the fact that Handel's "natural habitat was the opera house" (Machlis 303). The following examination of the music of Bach and Handel offers a general overview of each composers' musical language, putting their music within the context of their lifetime, while focusing on the contributions of each composer to the music of their era. Bibliography lists 4 sources.