George Frederic Handel (1685 - 1759)

George Frederic Handel was born in Halle, Germany in 1685. Handel’s father, a wealthy barber surgeon, did not want his son to pursue a career in music which he felt was not honorable. Rather, he wanted his son to become a lawyer. His father however allowed Handel to study music from a very young age and at seventeen Handel began playing the organ at the Calvinist Cathedral in Halle. He was only there one year before he went to Hamburg to play violin in the Opera Orchestra. He wasn’t in this environment long before he began composing his own operas including Almira and Nero. Handel then moved to Italy for three years where his operas enjoyed great success. He did accept a brief position in Hanover, Germany where he was appointed Kapellmeister to the elector. However, he was quickly given an offer in England that he could not pass up.

He went to England to compose operas including Rinaldo in his own opera house. He enjoyed great success producing serious Italian Opera in England for more than fifteen years. He was also appointed musical director for the newly created Royal Academy of Music. Unfortunately the academy only remained in existence for less than ten years due to lack of funding. The Earl of Carnarvon, near London was also a patron of Handel in 1717, and Handel also wrote music for King George I including his Water Music. Italian Opera though lost its popularity in England and was replaced by comic opera made popular by John Gay’s The Beggar's Opera in 1728. Handel at this time began composing Oratorios including his most famous, the Messiah. At a performance of the Messiah in 1759, Handel collapsed and died a few days later.