‘From Opera To Oratorio’ – How George Fredrick Handel Changed The Musical Life Of Britain

This lecture explores how a musician from a relatively obscure German state came to transform the musical life of Britain, from his arrival in 1710 to his death in 1759, and beyond.  He created some of the finest music for ceremonial occasions, and during his lifetime was the one composer to whom people turned when they wanted to celebrate a national event.  He invented the English oratorio which is central to much of the professional and amateur music-making up and down the country. The lecture explores this most British of composers and is illustrated with a variety of musical examples, some well-known, others less familiar.  (D)

Lecture by Roger Askew

The Arts Society Dumfries and Galloway (TASDAG), formerly The South West Scotland Decorative and Fine Arts Society, was founded in 1991 and is a Member Society of the The Arts Society, whose headquarters are in London.

The Arts Society is an arts based charity founded in 1968 by Patricia Fay, whose aim is the advancement of arts education and its appreciation and the preservation of our artistic heritage.

These aims are promoted by lectures, given by a list of 365 accredited lecturers, on fine and decorative arts in their widest sense including artists and their paintings, sculpture, china, furniture, fabrics, architecture, archaeology, film and media, music, ballet and much more.