Donald Burrows (musicologist)

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Donald James Burrows (born 28 December 1945, in London) [1] is a musicologist and a leading scholar of the music of George Frideric Handel. Until his retirement, he was Professor of Music at the Open University. [2]

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He read History and Music at Trinity Hall, Cambridge (BA 1968; PGCE 1969; MA 1971). He completed his PhD at the Open University in 1981. He is vice-president of the Händel-Gesellschaft, and chairman of the Handel Institute. [3]

Awards

Works

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A fine and delicate touch, a volant finger, and a ready delivery of passages the most difficult, are the praise of inferior artists: they were not noticed in Handel, whose excellencies were of a far superior kind; and his amazing command of the instrument, the fullness of his harmony, the grandeur and dignity of his style, the copiousness of his imagination, and the fertility of his invention were qualities that absorbed every inferior attainment. When he gave a concerto, his method in general was to introduce it with a voluntary movement on the diapasons, which stole on the ear in a slow and solemn progression; the harmony close wrought, and as full as could possibly be expressed; the passages concatenated with stupendous art, the whole at the same time being perfectly intelligible, and carrying the appearance of great simplicity. This kind of prelude was succeeded by the concerto itself, which he executed with a degree of spirit and firmness that no one ever pretended to equal.

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References

  1. "Library of Congress authorities" . Retrieved 31 August 2010.
  2. OU Department of Music: Professor Donald Burrows
  3. "'Music & Letters' Awards and Authors of Articles in This Issue". Music and Letters. 86 (4): 689. 1 November 2005. doi:10.1093/ml/gci138. Project MUSE   190301.
  4. "Handelian FAQs". Gfhandel.org. Archived from the original on 21 March 2009. Retrieved 1 September 2010.