Winton Basil DEAN

When Winton Dean taught a graduate seminar on Handel's operas at Cal Berkeley in 1965, I was one of his students, and he kindly acknowledged all of us in the first volume of his books on Handel's operas. He was an inspiration to us all, and I am saddened at his passing.

Oliver B. Ellsworth
Professor Emeritus of Musicology
University of Colorado, Boulder

I was very sorry to learn of the passing of Mr Winton Dean. I first came across his work when in my childhood I consulted and eventually read his volumes on the operas of Handel in the public library. The extraordinary effort involved in the rediscovery of the composer's art made a great impression, such as the attention paid, on several occasions over the course of the volumes, even to the watermark on the paper of the manuscript scores discussed, in the context of establishing the chronology of the composer's revisions.

Whereas full-length treatments of other composers of opera seria will have the advantage of Mr Dean's magnum opus on Handel as an ideal to which to aim, Mr Dean's work is unique in our time and has opened up an altogether new field of musicological research. The masterful achievements of his life will not be forgotten.

I first worked with Winton while I was a young singer in the Peter Pears Master Classes at Snape Maltings in Aldeburgh in 1977 (alongside Marie McLaughlin, Roger Vignoles, and Graham Johnson). I coached closely with him for more than a week and soaked up a PhD's worth of knowledge on style, ornamentation, repertoire, and delivery.

About 14 yrs later, after Winton had already been reviewing my opera and oratorio performances in Europe and the U.S. for years, we began another much longer and more personal association at the Göttingen Handelfestspiel (I sang several lead roles there under Nic McGegan). I would meet Winton and his adorable wife every morning for breakfast before rehearsals or recording sessions, and we would discuss Handel and agree/disagree on points of interpretation and performance practice. One morning, Winton "tsk-tsk'd" me good-naturedly over my penchant for creating "vigorous" ornamentation, saying "Juliana, your embellishments are rather florid." But when I offered to redo them in a more subdued style, he protested "Not a bit of it! Don't change one note."

We maintained sporadic written and telephone contact over the next dozen years. When both his voice and his handwriting grew shaky from advanced age and frailty, I begged him not to leave us until he'd completed Vol.2 of his magnum opus. Eventually he could no longer hold a pen, and his letters stopped coming, but he finished Vol. 2.

I'll always cherish my photos of Winton, and his letters. RIP, friend and mentor.

I am proud to report that Winton assisted my father - "Mike" Gauntlett, in founding Sydenhurst Ramblers Cricket Club in 1946. Winton was Secretary for the first 4 years and the club continues to thrive into its 68th year.

Winton Dean was the Doyen amongst Handel scholars with great learning, perceptiveness and a memorable turn of phrase. We owe him a great debt for his great contribution to Handel scholarship