Sound and Music

The Rehearsal and Performance Room at Handel House

Handel used this room to rehearse and it must have seen a great deal of musical activity. Today we invite musicians to rehearse baroque music here to reflect this. Most of the objects in this room relate to the world of theatre and opera in 18th century London.

Handel’s cast of performers rehearsed new operas and oratorios in this room, often in front of small invited audiences of friends and patrons. Rehearsal periods were often short, allowing only a few weeks to prepare for a whole season of opera usually featuring several new works. Handel himself played in the performances of many of his own pieces, for example, conducting from the harpsichord at the first performance of Messiah. Watching the rehearsals was probably quite an experience, according to the hair-raising anecdotes. Those present would have witnessed not only the real first performances of Handel’s works but also the spectacle of the composer swearing at the frequently headstrong singers – usually in several languages. Handel seems to have had very little patience with his singer’s egos. This room would have also been Handel’s main entertaining room and in the inventory taken after his death, it was described as the Dining Room.

The Handel House Harpsichord

The Handel House Harpsichord was made by Bruce Kennedy in 1998 and is based on the ‘Ruckers’ harpsichord that Handel was known to have had at 25 Brook Street. Bruce Kennedy copied a fine example of a Ruckers harpsichord, made by the famous Flemish harpsichord maker Ioannes Ruckers in 1624, now in the Musée D’ Unterlinden in Colmar, France. The instrument is thus known as the ‘Colmar Ruckers’. It is known that Handel’s instrument would have been expanded to 4½ or 5 octaves so that music of the 18th century could be played on it. The original Colmar Ruckers harpsichord was also given a ‘petit ravalement’ (extension) in the early part of the 18th century, and the Handel House Ruckers has an even larger compass of nearly five octaves. The soundboard inside the instrument is beautifully painted in the style of a Ruckers painting. Though several instruments claim to be Handel’s Ruckers harpsichord including one in Fenton House, London, it is not certain if any of these belonged to Handel.

Composing for Spirituoso

Formed in 1993, Spirituoso perform on period instruments and have been acclaimed as vigorous, innovative, passionate, inspiring and 'spirituous' in their numerous appearances in the UK, Europe and South America.  Their members are: Lisete da Silva (recorders & baroque flute), Nicholas Stringfellow (baroque cello & gamba), and Ricardo Barros (harpsichord).

Four Shortlist composers will each create a new work for the ensemble to perform as part of the Museum's 2010 concert programme: Richard Bullen, Ophir Ilzetzki, Yuko Ohara and Nina Whiteman.

An introductory workshop was held for the composers on Monday 2nd November, with Spirituoso demonstrating their instruments and performing several pieces, and Duncan Macleod - Handel House's Composer-in-Residence - facilitating. You can see some photos from the session in the images section below.