Who  can  say  from  memory  the  titles  of  even  six  of
his  thirty-nine  operas,  from  whence  may  be  culled
many  of  his  choicest  flowers  of  melody  ?  M.  Rolland
rightly  emphasises  the  importance  of  the  operas  of
Handel  in  the  long  chain  of  musical  evolution,  and
it  seems  impossible  for  anyone  to  lay  down  his  book
without  having  a  more  all-round  impression  than
heretofore  of  this  giant  among  composers.
M.  Saint-Saens  once  compared  the  position  of  a
conductor  in  front  of  the  score  of  a  Handel  oratorio
to  that  of  a  man  who  sought  to  settle  with  his  family
in  some  old  mansion  which  has  been  uninhabited
for  centuries.  The  music  was  different  altogether
from  that  to  which  he  was  accustomed.  No  nuances,
no  bowing,  frequently  no  indication  of  rate,  and
often  merely  a  "  sketched-in  "  bass.  .  .  .  Tradi-
tion only  could  guide  him,  and  the  English,  who
alone  could  have  preserved  this,  he  considers,  have
lost  it.
Can  it  be  recovered  to  any  extent,  and,  if  so,  how  ?

Behind  each  towering  figure  of  genius  are  to  be


X  INTRODUCTION

found  numbers  of  eloquent  men  who  prepared  the
way  for  him  ;  and  amongst  these  precursors  there
is  frequently  discovered  one  who  exercised  a  domi-
nating influence  over  the  young  budding  genius.
