Ilias Chrissochoidis Changing cultural space: The public molding of Handel's Esther into an English Oratorio (1732) Discussion Paper SP II 2016–310 December 2016 Research Area Markets and Choice Research Unit Economics of Change Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung gGmbH Reichpietschufer 50 10785 Berlin Germany www.wzb.eu Copyright remains with the authors. Discussion papers of the WZB serve to disseminate the research results of work in progress prior to publication to encourage the exchange of ideas and aca- demic debate. Inclusion of a paper in the discussion paper series does not con- stitute publication and should not limit publication in any other venue. The discussion papers published by the WZB represent the views of the respective author(s) and not of the institute as a whole. Affiliation of the authors: Ilias Chrissochoidis, WZB (
[email protected]) Abstract Changing cultural space: The public molding of Handel's Esther into an English Oratorio (1732) English oratorio engendered lasting changes in music history, yet the social con- text of its genesis remains under-explored. No convincing explanation has been offered for the Oratorio’s revivals as Esther in February-March 1731/2 and the events leading to Handel’s ambitious production two months later are still ob- scure. Moreover, scholarly emphasis on the textual affinities between the two works threatens to reduce its birth into mere compositional updating. This essay promotes Esther’s cultural autonomy by shifting attention from music text to context, and from composition to reception. It examines the oratorio’s historical milieu and suggests that political and cultural tensions in 1731–32 informed Han- del’s molding of a piece of chamber music into a public-oriented genre.