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Research and Writing
John holds a PhD from Cambridge University on the historical, social and political context of Handel's secular oratorios. This reflects his wider interest in the relationship between works of art and the societies which produced them. Speaking about this, he has appeared on Radio 4's The Real History of Opera.
He also writes programme articles for New York City Opera, and is currently contributing several entires to the forthcoming Cambridge Handel Encyclopedia (CUP, 2009). He is an engaging speaker and frequently gives pre-concert talks and narrated concerts, which aim to bring the meanings behind the music alive to both newcomers to classical music and experienced concertgoers. For a sample of his articles, please click on the links below.
Published Articles:
Handel and the English Language (New York City Opera, Spring 2006)
Semele and the Tradition of English Satire (New York City Opera, Autumn 2006)
PhD Dissertation:
'The Historical Context of Handel’s Semele (1743)'
Queens’ College, Cambridge. Supervised by Professor TCW Blanning.
This thesis attempts to locate Handel’s Semele within the broadest possible appreciation of the political, religious, moral and literary ideas of its time, to show not only how they enhance our understanding of it, but more importantly, to show how it develops and broadens our understanding of them.
The first chapter examines the development of Congreve’s original libretto in the context of Queen Anne’s reign and the approaching Hanoverian settlement. It traces his sources, including both Ovid and eighteenth century English and French dramas. It locates his treatment in the context both of the national politics of the Act of Settlement and Hanoverian succession and the theatrical and moral politics of Jeremy Collier’s attack on Congreve in 1698, and shows, through a study of the libretto, how Congreve was responding to a range of political and moral imperatives.
The second chapter considers the social and political context of Handel’s production. It illustrates how Semele related to national political concerns, to the changing moral climate of Georgian Britain, and to the political manoeuvrings of London’s theatre companies. It suggests that Semele needs to be understood within multiple and conflicting contexts, which included the fall of Walpole, the rise of Countess Yarmouth and the Patriot King opposition in the political sphere, and Arne’s English masques, Lord Middlesex and opposition to Messiah in the theatrical sphere.
The third chapter considers some of the musical and artistic influences on Handel’s composition of Semele. It outlines the other settings of Semele that already existed and considers which of these, if any, might have influenced Handel’s version. It also considers how extensively and from whence he may have borrowed, in order to illuminate how he viewed his project in the summer of 1743.
The fourth chapter examines in detail the development of Handel’s libretto. It traces the process of adaptation to establish at which stage changes were made to the libretto in order to show exactly what concerns motivated the changes. It also examines how his approach to performing Semele changed during the season of 1744 and what that illustrates about how the work was understood and perceived by his contemporaries.
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