Baroque Notes: Flowers and Duets

God help. ’ said Telemann.

"Yes," said Vivaldi, "as it says at the end of the psalm, your prayers are accepted - in the same year, 1701, you came to the University of Leipzig with a music-loving roommate , he accidentally discovered this work in your carry-on luggage. After his introduction, your work of the sixth Psalm was highly appreciated by the local church, and your music reputation in Leipzig was opened up.”

"Exactly. I always thought of a miracle," said Telemann, "but I haven't forgotten the man who told me not to give up my prayers in the first place. Yes, I wrote to Handel as soon as I settled down in Leipzig." .He responded promptly and we got in touch again. Leipzig and Halle are 16 miles apart, no problem at all for two young, music-loving hearts. During our college years we exchanged letters and saw each other frequently... …Sometimes I go to Halle, sometimes he comes to Leipzig..."

"But this regular meeting lasted only two years," says Telemann. "In 1703 he dropped out of the Law Faculty at Halle University, and even at the same time he gave up his position as organist at the local church. He came alone Hamburg, determined to pursue his opera career, and after that, the two of us gradually drifted apart. The friendship and laughter in our youth became more and more blurred with time and geographical barriers. I just hope that when I stand By the lake of music, looking at the quiet lake, the holly-colored lake is covered with blue-green mist... I use my meager strength to throw a stone into the lake, hoping that he can hear me thousands of miles away The few ripples it caused..."

Eurydice of Hades

"In the summer of 1703, Handel came to Hamburg with great ambitions. I was the first person he met... At the earliest, he sat at the back of the orchestra in the opera house and played the violin. His performance can be compared with a cold Humorous to describe: We felt like he couldn't even count to five. But when our harpsichord player left, he used his ability to convince everyone that he could replace him. Now he showed his true talent, and everyone There is no doubt about it, and I am no exception."

—Johann Mattessen, 1703, composer at the Hamburg Public Opera

"The first decade of the 18th century was a mixed bag for me," says Telemann. "I married Amalie in 1706, and 15 months later, on the sixth day of our daughter's birth, she died forever due to complications. Leaving me. You can't imagine the long-term harm behind these simple numbers. At that time, I was in Sorau, in Frankfurt, working crazily for celebrities from all walks of life. I hope to use my devotion to work to dispel my Grief, helplessness, even the success of my dream music career could not comfort me. Three and a half years later, Maria and I remarried. I have no intention of exploring overseas markets, and I have decided to develop in Germany. Yes, after leaving school, Fred and I inevitably followed our own trajectories, entered our own circles, and could not help drifting away.”

"But thank God, the friends we have in common, we haven't completely lost touch through this series of events. At least not completely disconnected from music. John Mattson ... has always been a bridge between us, I I thank him from the bottom of my heart. However, there are two things in my heart that I cannot forgive him. The first is that in 1704, he and Fred had a sword fight over the priority of the opera, and John almost killed Fred. Red, fortunately the button on Fred's coat blocked a sword and saved him. The second thing... It may be more selfish to say it, that is, John was the one who directly influenced Handel's development in England People. Unlike today, for those of us who have lived in the European continent for a long time, Britain is not just the English Channel, but thousands of mountains and rivers..."

"It's a great irony. When I finally decided to settle in Hamburg after many years of travelling, the person who used to live in Hamburg had decided to settle in England forever. How could I not know that in the 18s when the transportation was so underdeveloped, this Separation means farewell. I recall our agreement in youth... How ironic! What a prophecy! Yes, Orpheus did follow Eurydice's advice, and he left Eurydice in There, we will never see each other again..."

"In the 1703 years from 1723 to 20, we had a very limited encounter," Telemann said. "Today's biographies often say that Handel and I were lifelong friends. But in those 20 years of our lives, I felt Nature deliberately tested our friendship. No, I don't even know if there was a friendship between us at that time, or if it was just a memory..."

"I don't want to see him again. However, despite the music, his whereabouts are so unpredictable, his personal life is so mysterious, not only me, but many people are also blocked by him. - in Weimar I met Sebastian (Bach) at the time," said Telemann, and Vivaldi blinked his eyes to indicate that he was listening. "Our mutual love for music and poetry made us quickly friends. In 1717 , I became the godfather of his child Carl Philippe Emmanuel, so Carl has the middle name of Philippe. -----It was also at that time that I was directly influenced by your compositional style .”

"Come on," Vivaldi said playfully, "you can just tell the story of the three of you, and you don't need to deliberately mention me. Your later music has influenced me in turn, and you have to pay for my later Gallant tendencies." a responsibility."

"Okay, I'm in charge," Telemann said, "Well, what did I just say? Bach has always wanted to meet this Halle composer. 17...19," Telemann said, picking up a copy at hand His own biography confirms the time, "Bach traveled 35 kilometers from Cotten to Halle, only hoping to see Handel, but Handel left Halle just the day before; in 1730, Bach's child William Friedrich De Man came to Halle and invited Handel to Leipzig for a visit, but Handel declined. These things did not particularly change my impression of my old boyhood friend..." Telemann said, "However, I do feel a lot Inevitably things changed. I read his "Water Music" of 1717 and was so impressed that I tried to write my own version of it in 1723: The Tide of Hamburg, but anyway, I know I can't compare with him. He is no longer those Harley teenagers who worship Kuhnau at the beginning of the year. His genius leads him and his ambitions, and he is very close. What makes me feel that time flies is not just in career His achievements and personal changes. His fame is so great, his portraits are printed out one by one, and he is like blowing up balloons, getting fatter, fatter, fatter... "

"I find it embarrassing to have so many superimpositions of 'getting fatter' all of a sudden after these serious and professionally biographical narratives..." Vivaldi looked at the somewhat frantic Telemann (he was muttering to himself "He ate so much roast chicken, butter, salmon, beer"), "although anyone who has seen portraits of Handel in his early years and his middle and his later years will feel the same as you." (Telemann continues his list of Handel's foods "chocolate, wine...") "—Philip! Stop! You've already named almost every food in the 18th century!"

"Ha! Really!" Telemann recovered from the horrible fantasy of getting fat, "I guess I must have overlapped the memory with the reality just now-I'm really worried that he will really buy so many later Unhealthy food is back. To be honest, I have been persuading him to eat more vegetarian dishes and reduce food and alcohol intake. I even took out his biography and told him that eating this way is not only about weight, but also about his arthritis and stroke in his later years. , the reason behind the blindness..."

"You don't have to worry. I'm sure he'll come back with a lot of unhealthy food," Vivaldi said desperately, "especially when he's out shopping with Sebastian."

Telemann's face was contorted, but soon he chose to continue talking about his worries back then. "At that time, I doubted very much whether fame and fortune had changed us forever. We could not be the teenagers who were intimate and childhood sweethearts back then, and it was impossible to go back. All interactions became polite and stylized. His image on the other side of the English Channel , and with all kinds of conflicts and rumors about his eccentric personality, it became more and more blurred in the fog..."

Perhaps due to some of Mattesson's previous actions, Telemann inevitably had some opinions on this mutual friend of him and Handel.However, in 1724, thanks to Mattson, Telemann and Handel reconnected in a unique way, and everything seemed to return to Halle more than 20 years ago, when the two completely trusted each other and had no suspicions...

This method is the adaptation of the opera.

In 1724, when Telemann worked hard and finally won the battle with Keiser for the Hamburg opera market, he was not in a hurry to stage his own operas after winning the market, but mainly staged Handel's operas.Adapted with assistance from Matteson