George Frideric Handel, Tamerlano [Tamberlaine]

Derek Alsop (University of Chester)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.05: English Writing and Culture from the Glorious Revolution to the French Revolution, 1689-1789.
Vol. editors: Paul Baines (University of Liverpool), Daniel Cook (University of Dundee), Pat Rogers (University of South Florida), Nicholas Seager (University of Keele)

Dates

First circulation or publication Oct 1724

Places

Germany (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Music (any)
- Classical Music
  - Opera

Resources

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Tamerlano

is one of Handel’s finest operas, unusual in its consistently tragic tone. Composed at the height of Handel’s Royal Academy opera success, it was the second of three masterpieces performed within the space of two seasons from 1724-5, along with

Giulio Cesare

and

Rodelinda

. Though it is now acknowledged by Handel scholars to be as great a masterpiece as the two other works, it was not always so. In 1970 the great Handel expert John Merrill Knapp noted that “The neglect of

Tamerlano

is strange. It has not only just as much fine music as the other two operas but also one of the first important tenor roles in operatic history” (Knapp, 406).

The subject of the opera has iconic status in music, literature and art – the subjugation of eastern Europe and western Asia in the

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1582 words

Citation: Alsop, Derek . "Tamerlano". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 29 June 2012 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=1698, accessed 20 April 2024.]

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