The script of this programme 本節目臺詞

42 operas, just over 30 oratorios as well,

Helen: 42 部歌劇 operas，30 部大型音樂作品 oratorios

Along with instrumental music, shorter cantatas, small vocal pieces, harpsichord suites, concerti grossi.

Helen: 器樂演奏 instrumental music, 短篇清唱套曲 shorter cantatas, 大鍵琴組曲 harpsichord suites, 大協奏曲 concerti grossi.

Rob: All this music by just one person, so who is this prolific composer?

Helen: 誰是這個 prolific composer 多產作曲家？猜不出來？Here is another hint.

Well he was born in Germany, but in 1727, he did become a naturalised Englishman. So he was born a German, but died an Englishman.

Helen: 生于18 世紀，在德國出生，但后來又加入英國國籍。

Rob: It can't be any other but George Fredric Handel.

Helen: 我們今天的主題人物就是作曲家喬治·弗里德里希·亨德爾 Handel.

Rob: Today we hope to find out more about his life and music at the Handel House Museum.

Helen: 大家好我是 Helen. 那么讓我們走進位于倫敦中心的亨德爾博物館，聽聽副館長 Martin Wyatt 的介紹。

The House was built in 1721 and Handel moved in here in 1723, he was the first occupant of the house. And he lived then here for 36 years, upto his death in 1759.

Helen: Handel 在這幢典型的18世紀排房屋里生活了36年，直到他1759年去世。

The feel that we want to give is really is that this is Handel's house, as he had lived in it.

Almost as though you step in to the room, as though Handel has just stepped out of the room. You've just missed him.

Rob: What Martin says is that the museum wants to give visitors the feel that they are visiting Handel's home.

Helen: 走進 Handel 的家，好像感覺他剛剛才離開。Almost as though we stepped into the room, and Handel has just stepped out of the room.

Rob: Well, we've just missed him.

Helen: 我們就差一點點兒就碰上他了。 Handel 一生中的音樂風格有不少的變化，他的與眾不同之處是什么呢？ 請聽 Martin 的介紹。

Rob: See if you can hear the three countries that influenced his music.

The oratorios he wrote towards the end of his life, these large musical works, he combined the tradition of German church music, with the tradition of Italian opera, structures of Italian opera, and great choral tradition that he found in England, and really for the first time, brought all those traditions together, and created what is essentially an entirely different musical, a new musical form.

Helen: Handel 從他的家鄉德國受到了傳統教堂音樂的熏陶 church music. 然后他又去了意大利學習了 Italian Opera 歌劇，后來他定居英國，又發現了合唱團音樂 choral tradition.

Rob: And what Handel did was to bring all these different musical styles together, he created oratorios that are essentially an entirely new musical form.

Helen: Handel 把三個國家的音樂風格都融為一體，體現在他后半生的作品中，oratorios 大型音樂作品。這完全是他的創新。

Rob: He was well respected and almost had a celebrity status in his day. Interestingly, like many musicians, he was talented in language as well.

There are some great anecdotes about Handel, he obviously had a great sense of humour, and a lot of the anecdotes that have come down to us, kind of displayed this humour.

Helen: Handel 很幽默，he had a great sense of humour.

But I understand he was fluent in English, French and Italian, and he needed all of those in the worlds in which he lived, and of course his native language of German.

And one of the stories that's most often told about him was that he was able to swear in six or seven languages all at the same time and often in the same sentence.

Helen: Handel 精通最少4種語言。

Rob: And one of the anecdotes is that he was able to swear in six or seven language and often in the same sentence.

Helen: Handel 的過人之處是能用6或7種語言罵人， swear 就是說臟話，而且是在同一個句子里。

Rob: That is pretty impressive; sadly recording equipment didn't exist then to capture his language talent.

Helen: Well, we are privileged to have his music heritage preserved for us. 在 Handel House 博物館中我們能感受到他的精神和音樂。

Rob: In the intimate surrounding of the house, visitors are often treated to performances from real musicians.

Helen: 說不定能激發起我們內在的音樂潛力成為下一個 Handel。謝謝收聽。

Rob: Bye.