Ode for the Birthday of Queen Anne
Template:Handel Ode for the Birthday of Queen Anne (HWV 74) is a secular cantata composed by George Frideric Handel to a libretto by Ambrose Philips. It was probably composed during January 1713 for a performance on 6 February 1713 (which did not occur).[1] Other catalogues of Handel's music have referred to the work as HG xlviA; and HHA i/6.[1]
Overview
The cantata celebrates Queen Anne's birthday, and the accomplishment of the Treaty of Utrecht (negotiated by the Tory ministry of Anne in 1712) to end the War of the Spanish Succession.
Structure
Each of the seven stanzas of the ode conclude with the following words sung by the chorus:
- The day that gave great Anna birth,
- Who fix'd a lasting peace on Earth.
References
- ^ a b Sadie, Stanley; Tyrrell, John, eds. (2001). "{{{title}}}". The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Vol. {{{volume}}} (2nd ed.). London: Macmillan.