Handel's Acis and Galatea: Mozart, Mendelssohn, and Performance Practices of the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries

Abstract

In 1718, George Frideric Handel premiered Acis and Galatea words for the Duke of Chandos. In 1788, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's adaptation of Handel's masque debuted, and after forty years had passed, Felix Mendelssohn's adaptation premiered. Through an analysis of the two adaptations, each composer's approach to presenting older music comes to the forefront of a discussion on performance practice. In the Mozart version, the addition of wind parts epitomizes the sound of the Viennese school. In Mendelssohn's version, he makes such remarkable changes to Handel's score that certain movements are completely reconceived. Moreover, the historical background of Mozart and Mendelssohn shares common elements such as early training in transcription and emulation. This prepared each composer for the task of making an adaptation of Handel's masque. This similar background sheds light on the way these two composers were trained in composition early in their careers, their capacity to supplement newly composed music, and their involvement with the civic choral societies.