Handel composed four works in the summer of 1743: Semele, Dettingen Te Deum, Dettingen Anthem, and Joseph and his Brethren. The methods of borrowing Handel uses in these works encompass all of his parody techniques as identified by Bernd Baselt. The pages that still remain of the first (unused) version of "Bless the glad earth" from Semele closely match "Zaphnath Egypt's Fate" from Joseph. The layout of the manuscripts further supports this borrowing claim. Handel's compositional process can be analyzed to find when the first version was replaced by the final version of "Bless the glad earth." The final version has a seemingly uncertain chronology with "And why? Because of the King" from the Anthem because of their similar composition dates. However, by examining Handel's composition process and changes in drafts of the Anthem, it can be argued that "Bless the glad earth" (final version) was written earlier. The use of this borrowed material can be traced in his sketching process. This is seen in Handel's adaptation of small sections of the "Bless the glad earth" (final version) to create the solo introduction to "And why? Because of the King."

Works: Handel: Joseph and his Brethren (174-75, 178-80), Dettingen Anthem (175, 180-91).

Sources: Handel: Semele (175, 178-91).

Index Classifications: 1700s

Contributed by: Danielle Nelson