George Frideric Handel

Lore & Background

Handel was born in Halle to Georg Händel, a barber-surgeon, and Dorothea Taust. His father initially opposed his musical education, but after Handel impressed Duke Johann Adolf I at Weissenfels, he received instruction from Friedrich Wilhelm Zachow, the only teacher he ever had. Zachow introduced him to a vast collection of German and Italian music, and Handel copied scores into a notebook he kept for life. He later helped run three commercial opera companies in London to supply the English nobility with Italian opera—though the Royal Academy of Music was founded by a group of noblemen, not by Handel alone. In 1737 he had a physical breakdown, changed direction creatively, and transitioned to English choral works. His last Italian opera, Deidamia, premiered in January 1741, before the success of Messiah in 1742, so he had already stopped composing Italian operas before Messiah's triumph. He died a respected and rich man in 1759 and was given a public funeral at Westminster Abbey, though it was not an official state funeral.

Reader's Guide

Handel's significance lies in his role as a central figure of the high Baroque, whose works influenced later composers such as Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. He brought Italian opera to its highest development and created the English oratorio and organ concerto. His orchestral works Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks remain popular, and his coronation anthem Zadok the Priest has been performed at every British coronation since 1727. Interest in his music has grown since the mid-20th century, with musicologist Winton Dean calling him 'a dramatic genius of the first order.' Handel's legacy endures through his choral works, which addressed the middle class, and his integration of German polyphonic tradition with Italian Baroque style.

Did You Know?

• Handel was born in the same year as Johann Sebastian Bach and Domenico Scarlatti.
• His father was a barber-surgeon who initially opposed his musical education.
• He became a naturalised British subject in 1727.
• His coronation anthem Zadok the Priest has been performed at every British coronation since 1727.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"Whether I was in my body or out of my body I know not. God knows it!" — George Frideric Handel "Quoted in The Harvard Magazine (December 1862), p. 141." — George Frideric Handel "On composing the "Hallelujah Chorus" in 1741." — George Frideric Handel "I did think I did see all heaven before me, and the great God himself." — George Frideric Handel