| Popis: |
The image most frequently associated with Handel was that of Orpheus. This was based on the affective power of his music and his superb skills as a performer. But his legendary control over sound was hardly matched by some of his carnal appetites. Handel’s fondness for hearty meals and good wine was common knowledge among his contemporaries. A corpulent Orpheus was, however, an embarrassing image. Neither of Roubiliac’s two statues of him offers a hint to his physical size. And no narrative of his life acknowledges the fact without lengthy excuses. My contribution investigates the clash between Handel’s factual corpulence and exegetical efforts to sublimate it in public narratives. Using the Longinian understanding of genius, I wish to highlight a paradox between Handel’s behavior and its reception. Both in matters of table and in terms of creativity, Handel showed the same self-absorption and disregard for norms. His corpulence was, then, a physical analog of his enormous artistic output. The widespread notion of the sublime (and its super-mundane connotations) made it difficult, however, for his contemporaries to reconcile the mental image of an Orphean artist with the physical reality of a corpulent man. The profuse explanations of his gluttony reveal, then, an inconsistent reception of Handel’s physical and mental activities. But since both were undeniable facts, the reconciliation had to come on an exegetical level as exceptionalism: inexcusable in themselves, the eating habits of a genius like Handel may be understood as a side effect of his excessive devotion to art. This bifurcated understanding marks the beginning of biographical attitudes in music history where sensual excess is tolerated, if not expected, in those privileged to access the sublime realm of art. |
