George Frideric Handel

1685 - 1759. German-English composer, famous for numerous operas and oratorios, including the present-day Christmas classic, Messiah ("Haaaa-lle-luja! Halleluja!"). Handel showed a remarkable gift for music at an early age and when he became a pupil of an important scholar in Halle, his special abilities for music started to develop. Nevertheless he had to go through some difficulties to get his vocation fully accomplished due to his father´s decision to make of him a lawyer and opposing in many cases his musical vocation. In fact, he enrolled at the University of Halle for studying law, but stopped doing so after the death of his father.

One of the key facts for his tremendous success as a composer was the time he spent in Italy (1706-1710), in which he met many famous composers of that time like Arcangello Corelli or Alessandro Scarlatti, among others, who rapidly noticed the special gifts of young Handel, since he was very soon developing his own way of playing and transforming the old traditions into something new and revolutionary.

He composed several works in Italy, including Italian solo cantatas (vocal compositions), Il trionfo del tempo e del disinganno (1707) and an oratorio, the serenata Aci, Galatea e Polifemo (1708). These works enjoyed great success in their earlier performances, specially those in Venice, where the most important composers and personalities gathered. His fame had spread throughout Italy, and his mastery of the Italian opera style now made him an international figure.

In 1710 he was appointed Kapellmeister to the elector of Hanover, the future King George I of England, and later that year Handel journeyed to England. In 1711 his opera Rinaldo was performed in London and was greeted so enthusiastically that Handel sensed the possibility of continuing popularity and prosperity in England. He composed a series of operas in the Italian style, many of which are being rediscovered nowadays. In 1712, when he composed an Ode for the Queen´s Birthday, he got a lot of credit from the crown and also gained much favour. After this event Queen Anne granted him a significant amount of money to continue with his artistic creation as well as establish himself in England. In July of 1717 Handel's Water Music was first performed for a water party on the Thames. The composition was written and performed as a reconciliation between the king and Handel.[8]:[77]

Handel moved into a newly built house at 25 Brook Street (today the Handel House Museum). It was here that he composed Messiah, Zadok the Priest (the coronation anthem) and Music for the Royal Fireworks. At this time Handel started to be recognised by the English aristocracy and since he was in such a good position there, he decided to spend the rest of his life there. In 1726 he became a British subject, which enabled him to be appointed a composer of the Chapel Royal. In this capacity he wrote much music, including the Coronation Anthems for George II in 1727 and the Funeral Anthem for Queen Caroline 10 years later.

Handel´s growing position allowed him to run an Italian opera company in London which nevertheless found harsh rivalry with other companies and opera houses which could barely afford Italian operas. But in 1737, his company went bankrupt and he was reported to have a stroke. After a treatment in Germany, he was restored to health and went on to compose the Funeral Anthem for Queen Caroline (1737) and two of his most celebrated oratorios, Saul and Israel in Egypt.

In year 1741 he composed his greatest oratorio, Messiah. Handel had by this time made oratorio and large-scale choral works the most popular musical forms in England. He had created for himself a new public among the rising middle classes that identified with the music in a symbolic and nationalist way. Even during his lifetime Handel's music was recognized as a reflection of the English national character, and his capacity for realizing the common mood was nowhere better shown than in the Music for the Royal Fireworks (1749), with which he celebrated the peace of the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle.

Handel began to experience trouble with his eyesight but he managed with great difficulty to finish the last of his oratorios, Jephtha. He kept his interest in musical activities alive until the end. After his death on April 14, 1759, he was buried in Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey. His works and legacy are remembered in England as being part of their own identity due to Handel´s ability to convey the national mood finely through his music as well as having transformed English opera music. Germany, however, celebrates Handel as Georg Friedrich Händel and - not only due to the Umlaut - as German composer.

Sources

• http://www.gfhandel.org
• http://www.baroquemusic.org
• http://www.8notes.com/biographies/handel
• http://www.handelhouse.org/

An article by Jonathan Villar.