Book description
Every Valley is a glittering narrative history of intertwined lives that tells the story behind one of the greatest pieces of music ever written, Handel's Messiah.
'A delicious history of music, power, love, genius, royalty and adventure. Unforgettable.' SIMON SEBAG MONTEFIORE
London - Dublin, 1741-42.
An actress mired in scandal…
- Coming soon!
Why read it?
3 authors picked Every Valley as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
As a biographer and historian, I had been deeply impressed by Charles King's study of the origins of modern Istanbul, 'Midnight at the Pera Palace'. So I was thrilled to discover that his latest book 'Every Valley' explores the eighteenth century English society that helped make possible Handel's 'Messiah'. I was not disappointed. Here is a writer whose research is impeccable but who wears his scholarship lightly and writes with conviction and verve. The clever structure peoples the story with not only the brilliant composer himself but also figures such as the librettist Charles Jennens and the philanthropist Thomas Coram,…
A fascinating story, and completely unknown to this reader, but one that will make me appreciate Handel’s Messiah a great deal more whenever I hear it next. King transformed what could have been a straightforward musical history into something far more ambitious: a sweeping exploration of faith, empire, and the power of art to transcend its origins.
What I learned about George Frideric Handel and the events and characters that led to the composition of Handel’s Messiah as we know it to
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