Handel in Rome: the homosexual context reconsidered

In Handel as Orpheus, Ellen Harris argued that throughout his career Handel was publicly associated with homoeroticism and lived in homosexual milieux. This article re-examines Harris's claim that in Rome Handel resided in a homosexual milieu: it examines the sexual orientation of his patrons, the sexual context of the Accademia degli Arcadi and the conversazione, Harris's interpretation of the cantata Hendel, non può mia Musa, the Myth of Orpheus, and the historical concept of homosexuality to show that there is no basis for the claim that Handel lived in association with homosexuality and homosexual patrons in Rome. Such a claim does not accurately represent the socio-cultural context of Rome or possible historical attitudes or beliefs about Handel, and makes no contribution to our understanding of the circumstances of Handel's life, music and experiences in Rome. The investigation is instructive in revealing certain failures in recent historical research more generally.

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