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However, it is far-fetched to suggest that Handel was a Hanoverian James Bond spying at the British court in the early 1710s. After all, there is more than a grain of truth in the famous story about the Water Music for the Royal barge party on the River Thames in 1717 restoring him to his disgruntled ex-employer’s favour.
George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (/ ˈhændəl / HAN-dəl; [a] baptised Georg Fried[e]rich Händel, [b] German: [ˈɡeːɔʁk ˈfʁiːdʁɪç ˈhɛndl̩] ⓘ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) [3][c] was a German-British Baroque composer well-known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received ...
KM_C224e-20180112151304. VOLUME 19 NUMBER 2 AUTUMN 2008. NEWSLETTER. Among the events being planned to commem orate the 250th anniversary of Handel's death next year is the publication of a facsimile edition of the composer's will. The volume will include an essay by Klaus-Peter Koch on people that it mentions, including members of Handel's family.
- Overview
- Life
George Frideric Handel, a German-born English composer of the late Baroque era, was known particularly for his operas, oratorios, and instrumental compositions. He wrote the most famous of all oratorios, Messiah (1741).
What was George Frideric Handel’s early life like?
George Frideric Handel showed a marked gift for music at an early age, becoming a skilled keyboard player by age 9. Although his father did not like the idea of his son pursuing a career in music, Handel followed his musical inclination, later becoming well known for his compositions.
When was George Frideric Handel born?
George Frideric Handel was born on February 23, 1685, in Halle, Brandenburg (now in Germany).
George Frideric Handel (born February 23, 1685, Halle, Brandenburg [Germany]—died April 14, 1759, London, England) was a German-born English composer of the late Baroque era, noted particularly for his operas, oratorios, and instrumental compositions. He wrote the most famous of all oratorios, Messiah (1741), and is also known for such occasional pieces as Water Music (1717) and Music for the Royal Fireworks (1749).
Handel was the son of a barber-surgeon. He showed a marked gift for music and became a pupil in Halle of the composer Friedrich W. Zachow, learning the principles of keyboard performance and composition from him. His father died when Handel was 11, but his education had been provided for, and in 1702 he enrolled as a law student at the University of Halle. He also became organist of the Reformed (Calvinist) Cathedral in Halle, but he served for only one year before going north to Hamburg, where greater opportunities awaited him. In Hamburg, Handel joined the violin section of the opera orchestra. He also took over some of the duties of harpsichordist, and early in 1705 he presided over the premiere in Hamburg of his first opera, Almira.
Handel spent the years 1706–10 traveling in Italy, where he met many of the greatest Italian musicians of the day, including Arcangelo Corelli and Alessandro Scarlatti and his son Domenico. He composed many works in Italy, including two operas, numerous Italian solo cantatas (vocal compositions), Il trionfo del tempo e del disinganno (1707) and another oratorio, the serenata Aci, Galatea e Polifemo (1708), and some Latin (i.e., Roman Catholic) church music. His opera Agrippina enjoyed a sensational success at its premiere in Venice in 1710.
Handel’s years in Italy greatly influenced the development of his musical style. 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. In 1712 he went back to London for the production of his operas Il pastor fido and Teseo (1713). In 1713 he won his way into royal favour by his Ode for the Queen’s Birthday and the Utrecht Te Deum and Jubilate in celebration of the Peace of Utrecht, and he was granted an annual allowance of £200 by Queen Anne.
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Composers & Their Music
Recognized by prominent members of both the English aristocracy and the intelligentsia, Handel was in no hurry to return to Hanover. Soon he had no need to do so, for on the death of Queen Anne in 1714, the elector George Louis became King George I of England. In 1718 Handel became director of music to the duke of Chandos, for whom he composed the 11 Chandos Anthems and the English masque Acis and Galatea, among other works. Another masque, Haman and Mordecai, was to be the effective starting point for the English oratorio.
- Charles Cudworth
German Musicians. Childhood & Early Years. George Frideric Handel was born on 23 February 1685 in Halle-on-Saal, Duchy of Magdeburg, at that time a province of Brandenburg-Prussia, as Georg Friedrich Händel. His father, also Georg Händel, was a barber surgeon, serving in the court of Saxe-Weissenfels and the Margraviate of Brandenburg.
Feb 15, 2024 · Early life and education. George Frideric Handel was born on February 23, 1685, in Halle, Saxony (now part of Germany). His father, Georg Händel, was a distinguished barber-surgeon, and his mother, Dorothea Taust, recognized her son’s musical talent early on. Young Handel’s exposure to music began at home, where he explored the harpsichord ...
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George Friedrich Handel. 1685 - 1759. Handel was a German-born composer of the late Baroque era who settled in England at the height of his career, after a youthful tour took Italy by storm with his cantatas and operas. He is noted particularly for his operas (42), oratorios, and instrumental compositions. He was immensely popular in his own ...
