Musical Offerings ⦁ 2025 ⦁ Volume 16 ⦁ Number 1 3 creation of opera.”9 With the prerequisites of genre and style met, the arrival of opera was at hand, and its role in politics could begin. The earliest operas were composed in Italy where the genre flourished. Examples such as Rinuccini’s Dafne, Peri’s Euridice, and Caccini’s II rapimento di Cefalo explored opera’s early life.10 However, Claudio Monteverdi truly developed and mastered the craft with his first opera Orfeo.11 Grout claims that “Orfeo represents the first attempt to apply the full resources of the art of music to drama, unhampered by artificial limitations.”12 In other parts of Europe, opera was informed by national tastes. French opera spawned out of ballet, and English opera stemmed from the masque.13 Masques remained popular for a time because the British favored spoken dialogue to recitative.14 Nevertheless, when Italian opera was introduced in England, it prospered.15 This is what brought George Frideric Handel to London for the first time in 1710. Handel gained exposure to and experience in the Italian style as an instrumentalist and composer while in Hamburg, Germany and during his time spent in Italy. His opera Rinaldo was the first Italian opera written specifically for the London stage. Two years after its premiere, he moved to England permanently, hence his close relationship with the British crown began.16 The details of Handel’s association with the monarchy and how this relationship led to the incorporation of politics in his operas will be further discussed. Politics Played a Part on the British Stage When investigating the presence and power of politics in British opera during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the methods and motivations of composers beg for attention. Due to marketability needs, composers had to be careful and creative with how their work could be construed as to not offend the crown and avoid censorship. Therefore, delicate crafting and sound reasoning were required for an intentional statement to be made. Tangible evidence by providing examples to both 9 Grout, 37. 10 Grout, 41–43. 11 Grout, 47–48. 12 Grout, 50–51. 13 Grout, 147. 14 Grout, 148–149. 15 Grout, 158. 16 Grout, 184–185.
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