The Austrian Roots Of Handel's Musical Legacy

George Frideric Handel, a German-born Baroque composer and naturalized British citizen, is known for his operas, oratorios, and instrumental compositions. He was born in Halle, Germany, on 23 February 1685 and died in London, England, on 14 April 1759. Handel's most famous works include Messiah, Water Music, Italian operas, and English oratorios.

Handel was born in Halle, Germany

George Frideric Handel, the German-born Baroque composer, was born in Halle, Germany, on 23 February 1685. Handel's birthplace, Halle, was a relatively prosperous city, home to a salt-mining industry and a centre of trade. It was also a member of the Hanseatic League. Handel's father, Georg Händel, was an eminent barber-surgeon, and his mother, Dorothea Taust, was the daughter of a priest. Handel began his musical education at home, where he practised the harpsichord and organ. He later studied at the Lateinschule in Halle, where he learned language, literature, and music. Despite his father's objections to a career in music, Handel secretly continued to practice and compose.

Handel left Halle for Hamburg in 1703, becoming a violinist in the orchestra of the city's opera house. He soon progressed to the role of maestro al cembalo, effectively the main conductor's deputy. During this time, Handel also began composing operas, with his first opera, 'Almira', premiering in 1705. In 1706, Handel travelled to Italy, where he was influenced by Italian musical styles and worked with prominent musicians. He composed several operas and oratorios during his time in Italy, including 'Rodrigo' (1707) and 'Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno' (1707).

In 1710, Handel was appointed Kapellmeister to the Elector of Hanover, and the following year, he moved to London. He quickly gained recognition for his operas and instrumental compositions, and in 1713, he received a royal appointment as Composer of Musick to the Chapel Royal. Handel became a leading opera composer in London, with works such as 'Rinaldo', 'Giulio Cesare', and 'Alcina' achieving immense popularity. He also composed iconic pieces such as 'Water Music' and 'Music for the Royal Fireworks'.

In addition to his operas, Handel found great success with his oratorios, large-scale choral works with a biblical or religious theme. His most famous oratorio, 'Messiah' (1741), is a masterpiece that continues to be widely performed and celebrated. Handel's later years were marked by declining health and financial difficulties, but he remained a respected and influential figure in the London musical scene. He passed away on 14 April 1759, at the age of 74, and was buried in Westminster Abbey.

He was a German-British Baroque composer

George Frideric Handel, born in Halle, Germany, was a German-British Baroque composer. He is known for his operas, oratorios, and instrumental compositions. Handel's musical style is characterised by its grandeur, emotional depth, and melodic richness. He was skilled in the harpsichord and organ from a young age. Despite his father's objections to a musical career, Handel's passion for music led him to secretly practice and compose.

Handel travelled to Hamburg, a thriving musical centre, in 1702, where he performed in the opera orchestra and composed his first operas, Almira and Nero. He then went on to spend time in Italy, where he absorbed Italian musical styles and worked with prominent musicians. He composed numerous operas, oratorios, and other vocal and instrumental works during his time in Italy, including his first oratorio, Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno, in 1707.

In 1710, Handel was appointed Kapellmeister to the Elector of Hanover, the future King George I of England, and he moved to London the following year. He quickly gained recognition for his operas and instrumental compositions, and he received a royal appointment as Composer of Musick to the Chapel Royal in 1713. He also received patronage from the Duke of Chandos, for whom he composed the Chandos Anthems and the English masque Acis and Galatea.

Handel became a leading opera composer in London, with works like Rinaldo, Giulio Cesare, and Alcina. However, changing tastes and financial challenges in the opera scene led him to shift his focus to oratorios, large-scale choral works with a biblical or religious theme. His most famous oratorio, Messiah, composed in 1741, is a masterpiece that continues to be widely performed and celebrated.

In the latter part of his career, Handel faced declining health and financial difficulties, but he continued to compose prolifically. He explored other genres, such as organ concertos and other instrumental works, and contributed to the development of the concerto grosso form. Despite his health issues, including vision problems and blindness, he remained dedicated to his musical pursuits.

Handel passed away on April 14, 1759, at the age of 74, and was buried in Westminster Abbey. He is celebrated as one of the greatest composers of the Baroque era, and his works, including Messiah, continue to be performed and cherished worldwide.

He was a harpsichordist, organist and violinist

George Frideric Handel was a harpsichordist, organist and violinist before becoming a composer. In 1703, Handel accepted a position as a violinist and harpsichordist in the orchestra of the Hamburg Oper am Gänsemarkt. He met composers Johann Mattheson, Christoph Graupner and Reinhard Keiser during his time there. Handel's first two operas, Almira and Nero, were produced in 1705, and two more, Daphne and Florindo, were performed in 1708.

Handel travelled to Italy in 1706, where he met librettist Antonio Salvi. He composed sacred music for the Roman clergy, as opera was banned in the Papal States at the time. He also composed cantatas for musical gatherings in the palaces of influential patrons.

Handel returned to Halle, his birthplace, twice, to attend the wedding of his sister and the baptism of her daughter, before settling in England in 1712.

He composed Messiah, one of the most famous oratorios

George Frideric Handel, born in Halle, Germany, in 1685, composed Messiah, one of the most famous oratorios, in 1741. It premiered in Dublin on April 13, 1742, at Easter, rather than at Christmastime, when it is popularly played in the present day. Messiah is by far the most frequently performed of all oratorios.

The verses used as text for Messiah were assembled by Handel's friend Charles Jennens, a wealthy supporter of the arts. They were drawn from three parts of the Bible: Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah's birth; New Testament stories of the birth of Christ, his death, and his resurrection; and verses relating ultimately to Judgment Day, with the final chorus text drawn from the Book of Revelation.

Messiah was a triumphant success at its Irish premiere, perhaps in part because Handel had been in town for most of the winter, offering a concert series that attracted considerable attention to his music. The work found less favour in London until 1748, when a somewhat less conservative bishop of London was appointed.

Messiah is distinguished from most of Handel's other oratorios by an orchestral restraint—a quality which the musicologist Percy M. Young observes was not adopted by Mozart and other later arrangers of the music. The work begins quietly, with instrumental and solo movements preceding the first appearance of the chorus, whose entry in the low alto register is muted. A particular aspect of Handel's restraint is his limited use of trumpets throughout the work. After their introduction in the Part I chorus "Glory to God", apart from the solo in "The trumpet shall sound" they are heard only in Hallelujah and the final chorus "Worthy is the Lamb". It is this rarity, says Young, that makes these brass interpolations particularly effective.

Handel's Messiah has been described by the early-music scholar Richard Luckett as "a commentary on [Jesus Christ's] Nativity, Passion, Resurrection and Ascension", beginning with God's promises as spoken by the prophets and ending with Christ's glorification in heaven. In contrast with most of Handel's oratorios, the singers in Messiah do not assume dramatic roles; there is no single, dominant narrative voice; and very little use is made of quoted speech.

The autograph manuscript of the oratorio is preserved in the British Library.

He died in London, aged 74

George Frideric Handel, the German-born Baroque composer, died in London on 14 April 1759, aged 74. He was buried in Westminster Abbey, where his memorial epitaph reads:

> The most Excellent Musician any age ever produced Whose Compositions were a Sentimental Language rather than mere Sounds; And surpassed the Power of Words In Expressing the various Passions of the Human Heart.

Handel is regarded as one of the greatest composers in the history of Western classical music. He is best known for his operas, oratorios, and instrumental compositions, including the famous Messiah, which was composed in 1741 and remains one of the most popular and enduring pieces of classical music.

Handel's success in London led to royal patronage, and he became a naturalised British citizen in 1727. He composed music for royal occasions, including the coronation of King George II and the funeral of Queen Caroline. He also composed pieces to commemorate significant events, such as the Peace of Utrecht and the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, which ended the War of the Austrian Succession.

Despite his success, Handel faced various challenges in his later years, including declining health and financial difficulties due to the decline in popularity of Italian opera. He suffered a stroke in 1737 and began to lose his eyesight in 1751, eventually becoming completely blind. Despite these setbacks, Handel continued to compose prolifically, and his later works, such as Theodora, Jephtha, and Belshazzar, demonstrated a mature and reflective style.

Handel was a large man with an explosive temperament and a generous spirit. He was known for his directness and did not tolerate histrionics from performers. He was also private about his personal life and never married. Handel was shrewd with his money, investing his earnings and occasionally buying fine paintings. He was appointed governor of the Foundling Hospital in London in 1750 and left a third of his fortune to various charities in his will.

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