Häendel GF, "Saraband in D minor"

George Frideric Häendel (1685-1759)

I find it amazing to look at this great composer's life simultaneously with Bach's.

There is a series of coincidences in the lives of both composers that are worth looking into.

Haendel spent most of his adult life in London but he was born only a few miles away from Bach's birthplace in German Saxony. For this reason, he is often referred to as the English Bach. Both masters were born in 1685. Haendel was only one month older than Bach. They heard about each other but they never met in person.  Haendel was famous in his lifetime. The main reason of his fame was that he moved to London which was the capital of Music at the time. Haendel is world famous for having composed The Messiah. In the Master's words, "Heaven opened up and Angels dictated the Famous Alleluia to the German composer".

The Saraband in D minor is one of my favorite pieces. I first heard it played by Maestro Segovia in 1971. The variations are simply genial and relatively short. The performer is tempted to create  his own extra-variations and he would like his instrument to have unlimited projection to play certain phrases... I reluctantly finish to play the work... unlike many works which are finished long after they are over, the Saraband is over long before it finishes. Fantastic!