Ode to St Cecilia

John Butt director
Academy Baroque Soloists

HANDEL Ode for St Cecilia’s Day, HWV 76 

Following the Purcellian tradition, Handel’s secular cantata was written for the patron saint of music’s feast day. Setting the poetry of John Dryden, the work opens with a depiction of primordial chaos, shaped into order by the power of music.