Biography
Music enthusiasts typically first meet George Frederick Handel via seasonal performances of the "Hallelujah" chorus from Messiah. Many also admire the full oratorio tracing Christ's life, death, and resurrection, along with select other staples such as the orchestral Water Music and Royal Fireworks Music, and occasional excerpts from Judas Maccabeus or additional English oratorios. His operas, however, which brought him broad renown during his lifetime, remain largely the domain of Baroque specialists, while the details of his career—though they mirrored major musical debates of the era—have never achieved the familiarity of those of Bach or Mozart. No single term captures his trajectory more aptly than "cosmopolitan," given that he was a German composer who received his training in Italy and resided primarily in England.
Handel entered the world in Halle on February 23, 1685. His father registered the boy's musical aptitude yet offered no encouragement, prompting the youngster to hide a small keyboard in the attic for private practice. Early lessons came from Friedrich Wilhelm Zachow, organist at the Liebfrauenkirche, and a church-organist path initially appeared likely. After a short period studying law at the University of Halle, Handel assumed the post of organist at the Domkirche on March 13, 1702. Restlessness soon led him to join the Hamburg opera orchestra as a violinist in 1703; his impatience with the region's limited musical horizons may have surfaced in the 1704 duel he fought with Mattheson over the continuo for one of the latter's operas. In 1706 Handel departed for Italy, then the center of operatic progress, and absorbed the prevailing style of Italian opera seria. Upon returning to Germany he accepted the position of court composer in Hannover, whose ruling family maintained close ties to the British crown; his employer, the Elector of Hannover, later ascended as King George I of England. London audiences embraced the 1711 opera Rinaldo, and Handel seized the opportunity to relocate permanently to England several years afterward. He quickly earned the king's favor with the Water Music of 1716, created for a royal river excursion. Much of his keyboard output, among it the suite containing the well-known "The Harmonious Blacksmith," originated in the years immediately preceding his Italian journey and during his first decade on English soil. Between 1717 and 1719 he served as house composer to the Duke of Chandos, producing the 11 Chandos Anthems for chorus and string orchestra. With the duke's backing and that of other supporters, he also established the Royal Academy of Music, London's new opera enterprise. Throughout the 1720s he supplied the city's theaters with Italian operas of the first rank—Ottone, Serse (Xerxes), and further scores drawn from classical subjects. Fresh English-language pieces of a lighter stamp nevertheless eroded his standing, and once the Academy collapsed he shifted, in the 1730s and 1740s, to the oratorio, a large-scale genre that appealed to England's expanding middle-class public. Beyond Messiah, works such as Israel in Egypt, Samson, and Saul secured his status as a revered figure in English musical life. These oratorios highlighted his melodic invention and his command of pacing in expansive choral sections. Judas Maccabeus, finished in 32 days during 1746, ranked among the most frequently performed of the set. His Concerti grossi, Op. 6, and organ concertos likewise date from this phase. A stroke in 1737 left him temporarily paralyzed in the right arm and diminished certain mental capacities, yet he regained enough function to resume most ordinary activities. Though pressed to compose an autobiography, he never undertook one. In advanced age, despite blindness, he persisted in writing music. He died in London on April 14, 1759. More than 3,000 mourners attended the funeral of the celebrated composer. He was interred at Westminster Abbey with full state honors. Beethoven regarded Handel as the foremost composer among his forebears and once declared, "I would bare my head and kneel at his grave."
Handel entered the world in Halle on February 23, 1685. His father registered the boy's musical aptitude yet offered no encouragement, prompting the youngster to hide a small keyboard in the attic for private practice. Early lessons came from Friedrich Wilhelm Zachow, organist at the Liebfrauenkirche, and a church-organist path initially appeared likely. After a short period studying law at the University of Halle, Handel assumed the post of organist at the Domkirche on March 13, 1702. Restlessness soon led him to join the Hamburg opera orchestra as a violinist in 1703; his impatience with the region's limited musical horizons may have surfaced in the 1704 duel he fought with Mattheson over the continuo for one of the latter's operas. In 1706 Handel departed for Italy, then the center of operatic progress, and absorbed the prevailing style of Italian opera seria. Upon returning to Germany he accepted the position of court composer in Hannover, whose ruling family maintained close ties to the British crown; his employer, the Elector of Hannover, later ascended as King George I of England. London audiences embraced the 1711 opera Rinaldo, and Handel seized the opportunity to relocate permanently to England several years afterward. He quickly earned the king's favor with the Water Music of 1716, created for a royal river excursion. Much of his keyboard output, among it the suite containing the well-known "The Harmonious Blacksmith," originated in the years immediately preceding his Italian journey and during his first decade on English soil. Between 1717 and 1719 he served as house composer to the Duke of Chandos, producing the 11 Chandos Anthems for chorus and string orchestra. With the duke's backing and that of other supporters, he also established the Royal Academy of Music, London's new opera enterprise. Throughout the 1720s he supplied the city's theaters with Italian operas of the first rank—Ottone, Serse (Xerxes), and further scores drawn from classical subjects. Fresh English-language pieces of a lighter stamp nevertheless eroded his standing, and once the Academy collapsed he shifted, in the 1730s and 1740s, to the oratorio, a large-scale genre that appealed to England's expanding middle-class public. Beyond Messiah, works such as Israel in Egypt, Samson, and Saul secured his status as a revered figure in English musical life. These oratorios highlighted his melodic invention and his command of pacing in expansive choral sections. Judas Maccabeus, finished in 32 days during 1746, ranked among the most frequently performed of the set. His Concerti grossi, Op. 6, and organ concertos likewise date from this phase. A stroke in 1737 left him temporarily paralyzed in the right arm and diminished certain mental capacities, yet he regained enough function to resume most ordinary activities. Though pressed to compose an autobiography, he never undertook one. In advanced age, despite blindness, he persisted in writing music. He died in London on April 14, 1759. More than 3,000 mourners attended the funeral of the celebrated composer. He was interred at Westminster Abbey with full state honors. Beethoven regarded Handel as the foremost composer among his forebears and once declared, "I would bare my head and kneel at his grave."
Singles
