Although Handel originally advertised Semele as an oratorio on a secular subject, the work itself is arguably one of his greatest dramatic creations. At the time he was writing it, however, audiences were moving away from their interest in Italian opera and were favoring English oratorio, so Handel employed a strategic marketing technique for this work. In calling it an ‘oratorio’ it was sure to attract audiences, who were already very familiar with Handel’s oratorios. He also included many of the compositional standards which were popular in his oratorio writing but less used in his operas,
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Semele guide sections
