• George Frideric Handel was a Baroque composer of concertos, operas and oratorios.

• Fast Facts

  1. Born: February 23, 1685 (the same year as Johann Sebastian Bach and Domenico Scarlatti
  2. Died: April 14, 1759
  3. Was a skillful harpsichordist and organist by the age of 7
  4. Began to compose music at the age of 9
  5. Suffered a stroke at age 52 that caused temporary paralysis
  6. Was a devoted patron of the London Foundling Hospital
  7. Affected by blindness in his last eight years
  8. Never married and kept a private personal life
  9. Bach said: "Handel is the only person I would wish to see before I die, and the only person I would wish to be, were I not Bach"
  10. was referred to by Beethoven as "the master of us all."

• Life

  From childhood, it was clear that Handel had a natural gift for music and had already started composing original works by the age of nine. Despite his fathers wishes that he become a Lawyer, Handel was permitted to learn composing and piano from renowned teacher Friedrich Wilhelm Zachau. He eventually gave in to his father's wishes and began studying law in 1702 at the University of Halle but quickly dropped out after the death of his father a year later. After moving to Hamburg and accepting a job as a violinist he began writing operas and gained popularity throughout Europe. He continued to compose music through most of the early 18th Century and his most famous work is his Messiah oratorio, set to the text from the King James Bible. In 1750, Handel was involved in a carriage accident, which eventually led to blindness. Handel died in 1759 in London.

• Notable Works

  • 1704: Almira
  • 1707: Rodrigo
  • 1709: Agrippina
  • 1711: Rinaldo
  • 1712: Il pastor fido
  • 1713: Teseo
  • 1717: Water Music
  • 1742: Messiah
  • 1743: Samson

• Related Mahalo Pages

  Antonio Vivaldi | Johann Sebastian Bach | Ludwig van Beethoven | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Franz Schubert | Johannes Brahms | Robert Schumann | Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky | Frederic Chopin | Franz Liszt | Claude Debussy | Maurice Ravel | Giacomo Puccini

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