If your little one enjoyed our music, let them listen to it non-stop! For babies, Handel’s music offers a strong musical foundation rooted in its rhythmic vitality and melodic simplicity (often embellished in inventive ways once the da capo rolls round!)

A little about the operas Handel’s Island is based on. Handel’s Island is a pastiche opera comprised of several of Handel’s works. We have Alcina, Orlando, Rinaldo, Giulio Cesare, and weaving through it all the serenata L’Allegro. The latter is a pastoral work based on John Milton’s poems, about the “Happy Man” (L’Allegro”) and the “Thoughtful Man” (“Il Penseroso”), and it explores how happiness can be found in a balance of both joy and melancholy, resulting in Il Moderato (“The Moderate Man”). This sentiment is reflected in the ending duet — ‘As Steals the Morn’— is one of the most sublime works Handel has ever written.

I have based the narrative arc loosely on the Shakespeare’s The Tempest, in which an enchanter on an island is at the centre of the tale. In this pastiche opera —which draws from Handel’s Alcina, Orlando, Rinaldo, Giulio Cesare and Serse— the protagonist often begins seeking pleasure and passion; illusions must be faced and dispelled by Reason before the hero can triumph. In Alcina, Ruggiero falls under the spell of the island’s mystique, and only breaks the spell in the end with the help of his knight-love Bradamante. In Orlando, the knight’s descent into chaos is tempered by the wizard Zoroastro (a Prospero-like figure), who guides him toward glory over love. Similarly, the sorceress Armida from Rinaldo falls in love with knight Rinaldo and holds him as her captive, and must finally be conquered with the help of the Christian Magus.

Of course, some of the pieces were included for sheer beauty alone. “Ombra Mai Fu” from Serse is one of Handel’s most beloved arias, and the duet “Caro! Bella!” from Giulio Cesare is full of Handelian flourishes, with its florid, courtly melody reflecting the joy of desire and liberation (in this case, while Cesare falls under Cleopatra’s spell, she is liberated by his martial intervention).

Handel’s music is remarkable— and remarkably recognizable— for its unique combination of structural clarity, distinct cadences and repeated phrasing, which match the patterns children naturally react to, therefore promoting early auditory development and a sense of musicality. By the time the little ones encounter more famous pieces like Water Music or Messiah for example, their ears will be ready!

Handel’s Island: a pasticcio

Overture - Menuet (Alcina)

Verdi Prati (Alcina)

Mountains, on whose barren breast (L’Allegro)

Caro…Bella! (Giulio Cesare)

Let me Wander not Unseen (L’Allegro)

Questo il cielo di contento (Alcina)

Sweet Bird (L’Allegro)

Non e amor e gelosia (Alcina)

Ombra mai Fu (Serse)

Come and Trip it (L’Allegro)

Tornami a vagheggiar (Alcina)

As Steals the Morn (L’Allegro)

Vinto sol da la virtu (Rinaldo)

Music learning is holistic journey, and an engaged parent makes it so much easier! The good new is, you can add it to practically any activity. Here are some activities you can engage in with your little one if he or she enjoyed our show.

Sing an arpeggio: Tornami a vagheggiar (you know, the aria with the bubbles!) is a perennial favourite because of predictable, ‘curvy’ climb up the “interval stairs”. ‘Do mi do so , re fa re so, mi so mi do , fa la fa re …”. Up and up and up it goes, always in the same pattern! Sing this line to “da da da” and see if your little one will copy it! Even if s/he does not choose to audiate, it’s still a pleasurable line to listen to.

Listen for the da capo: Handel’s arias often have an ABA structure; they begin with a melody, switch to another for a different mood, then go right back to the beginning melody, this time with variations. Babies delight in experiencing things that are same-same, but different!

Move to the music: Depending on the child’s personality, some may prefer the faster pieces, others the slow. Encourage them wave soft fabric in the air to the slow pieces so that they feel the physicality of the music in their bodies. For the faster pieces, let them run and bob and spin, or just bounce them in your lap!

Draw to the music: Painting and drawing is relaxing. Let your child make marks on paper while listening to the music — that keeps their brain simultaneously engaged while relaxed and open to picking up underlying musical patterns.

There are infinitely more ways in which you can introduce the magic of Handel into your child’s daily life. Start with these activities and see how it goes!