Going With The Flow: Handel's 'Semele'
In 1977, when the Bee Gees wrote their hit song "Stayin' Alive," that's very much what the band itself was doing — and it gave the group something in common with a composer who was faced with flagging popularity more than 200 years earlier: George Frideric Handel .
The Bee Gees were one of most successful bands of the late 1960s and early '70s, with hits including "I've Gotta Get a Message to You," "Words" and 1971's "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart," their first number one song in the U.S.
Then, in the mid '70s, the popularity of soft rock began yielding to the soaring disco craze, and the Bee Gees seemed dead in the water. But after a couple of down years, the band emerged with a new, disco-ready image. With their music for the 1977 movie hit Saturday Night Fever But, like soft rock in the 1970s, the appeal of Italian opera in London didn't last forever. In its place, a taste for English oratorios emerged. Unlike Italian operas, the oratorios were written in their audience's own language and often had inspiring, spiritual themes in contrast to opera's overt passion and violent intrigue. Handel took full advantage of the trend. The apex of this new phase in his career came in 1742 with Messiah is an opera or an oratorio is a question that's pretty much up for grabs. Handel said it should be performed "in the manner of an oratorio," which might suggest that he didn't think it really was an oratorio. And the score features some decidedly operatic elements — a host of spectacular arias and a sassy story that's hardly spiritual. Yet it's written in English, and also leans heavily on big choral numbers, a staple of the oratorio style. As it turned out Handel may have been overly ambitious; it seems his audiences didn't know quite what to make of the piece. The oratorio crowd was expecting something uplifting, like Messiah hardly fit that bill. Opera lovers seemed to think it was somehow impure — for one thing, opera was supposed to be in Italian, not English, even in London. And what about all those choruses? Crowd scenes were a rarity in opera houses of the era. Today, those problems have faded. Audiences have long since grown accustomed to everything from bold sensuality to subtle spiritualism, and from intimate arias to outlandish, musical excess. So by now, Handel's hybrid drama works perfectly well both in the theater and in the concert hall. On World of Opera Handel's drama has three acts and is set in the world of Roman mythology. The title character is a princess, daughter of Cadmus, the King of Thebes. She's engaged to marry Athamas, a prince from another kingdom.
Roman Goddess Juno - News
As ACT TWO begins, Jupiter's wife, the goddess Juno, hears about all this from Iris, her messenger. Juno is not happy, and begins to make careful plans. She'll call on Somnus, the god of sleep, to help her sneak into the palace and deal with Semele.
June is the traditional month for weddings in the United States and Europe. The month itself is named for Juno, the Roman goddess of marriage. Juno was said to bring prosperity and happiness to those who wed during her month.
The prevailing thought appears to be that the month is named in honor of the Roman goddess Juno, the goddess of marriage and fertility. That would certainly offer up a reason why June is such a popular month for weddings. June has embedded in it,
Thus the Etruscan Goddess Vei was installed as Juno Regina on the Aventine and the Carthaginian Goddess Tanit was led to Rome as another Juno Regina, where as Juno Sospita had previously been the protective Goddess of a Latin city.
June is named for Juno, Roman goddess of marriage who, it is believed, will bless brides married in her month with many children. In the northern hemisphere, June is the beginning of summer and in May, those in ancient times would have their annual
Bewitching Names: Juno
Juno's mythology is perhaps the most complex of all the Roman gods, and historians debate about her theology to this day. What we do know is that she was extremely important. Juno looks after all the women of Rome, is the patron goddess of the Roman Empire, and was often referred to as Regina, meaning "Queen." She was often depicted in military garb, ready to protect her children from any enemy. As the etymology of her name suggests, she is also associated with eternal youth. Although she is not the moon goddess (that duty belongs to Diana) a lot of historical texts suggest that she has a connection to the moon because of it's spiritual connection to menstrual cycles and pregnancy. There are other well known namesakes besides the goddess. The award winning film Juno came out in 2007. In this comedic drama, Juno is a quirky, wisecracking teenage girl who has an unplanned pregnancy. She decides to carry the baby to term and give it to a suburban couple. One real life Juno is the as-of-yet not famous British actress Juno Violet Temple, who appeared in such movies as Atonement. But it doesn't look like either of these film references inspired that many parents as Juno has yet to appear in the top 1,000. June, on the other hand, was a popular girls name way back when and peaked in the 1920s at #45. It disappeared in the 1990s but is coming back and is now at #597. If you can believe it, June was also used as a boys name. It appeared at the bottom of the charts from the 1880s to the 1930s. I've also heard a new variation: Junella, a combination of June and Ella.
| j u n e | is nearly over. The month is named after Juno, the Roman goddess of marriage and well-being of women.
RT : on the 30th day of the 6th month of the roman goddess 'Juno'..a bright star baby was born with ... 
RT : on the 30th day of the 6th month of the roman goddess 'Juno'..a bright star baby was born with ... 
on the 30th day of the 6th month of the roman goddess 'Juno'..a bright star baby was born with smiles on his face,now he his KNwn as *SIMZ*!
RT Wedding Fact of the Day: The Roman goddess Juno rules over marriage, the hearth and childbirth, hence the popularity of June weddings.Roman Goddess Juno - Bookshelf
The Classical world
Furthermore, it is a well known fact that Roman women spoke of their Junos just ... under Greek influence, became anthropomorphized into the goddess Juno. ...The golden bough, a study in magic and religion
He had his consort with him, the goddess Juno, who was worshipped here under the same ... In earlier times the Roman king, as representative of Jupiter, ...An Echo in the Darkness
In mythology, Hera was the sister and wife of Zeus and was identified with the Roman Juno. Juno: Roman goddess, comparable to the Greek goddess Hera. ...Encyclopedia of Greek and Roman Mythology
Juno, Roman goddess of marriage and childbirth, was syncretized with the Greek goddess Hera. Juno gave her name to the month of June, which was seen as a ...The Roman goddess Ceres
In this thematic study of the Roman goddess Ceres, Barbette Spaeth explores the rich complexity of meanings and functions that grew up around the goddess from ...Detailed Information Directory
Juno (mythology) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Juno (Latin pronunciation: [ˈjuːnoː]) was an ancient Roman goddess, the protector and special counselor of ... As the patron goddess of Rome and the Roman Empire she was called ...
Juno
The origins, symbolism and areas of influence of Juno, the Roman Queen of the Gods. She is a good example of the Queen and Companion Archetypes.
Juno Roman Goddess
Juno: Roman Goddess of heaven, marriage, time, and women. Juno ruled in the heavens with ... Juno was the archetypical deity in charge of femininity, womanly ...
Juno
Information and mythology about the Roman goddess, Juno. ... Jurisdiction: She was described as being the Roman Goddess of Marriage and Childbirth ...
Juno
Juno (Latin: IVNO) was a major Roman goddess, the rough equivalent of ... An ancient and central deity in Roman religion, Juno was the wife of the ruler of the ...
