George Frideric Handel 1685-1759 German/English composer

George Frideric Handel was born in Halle, Germany in 1685, the same year an Johann Sebastian Bach and Domenico Scarlatti. At the age of ten, he began attracting attention because of his skills as an organist. In 1707, at age 22, Handel went to Italy where, as legend has it, he engaged in a harpsichord and organ contest with Domenico Scarlatti. The two were declared equal at the harpsichord but Handel was the easy winner at the organ. While in Italy, he also met the composer Arcangelo Correlli.

In 1710, Handel accepted a position as musician in the not very exciting court of George, Prince of Hanover. In the same year, he asked for a brief leave of absence to visit London. At that time, London was a very exciting place. It was an intellectual center where famous writers and scientists such as Alexander Pope and Sir Isaac Newton mingled with the rich and powerful. Joseph Addison and Richard Steele were publishing The Tattler. Handel and his music made an enormous impression in England. His operas, which he turned out in quantity, were extremely popular. Enjoying his fame, Handel kept putting off his return to Hanover, much to the annoyance of his employer. In 1714, Handel was still in England. In that same year, Queen Anne died, and was replace by, of all people, by Handel's boss, George , Prince of Hanover who now became George I of England. Handel suspected that he might be in deep trouble. Fortunately, he and George were soon reconciled. Indeed, Handel became a favorite of the King because of works such as The Royal Water Music that the king liked so much that he had it played over and over.

Life in England was not always easy for Handel. The English Composer John Gay wrote a devastating parody of Handel's operas, called The Beggar's Opera. In this opera, which is still popular today, Gay replaced the innocent shepherds and shepherdesses who populated Handel's operas with a collection of thieves, prostitutes, and pimps. After the success of The Beggar's Opera, interest in Handel's operas died. Handel was nearly wiped out financially. However, Handel switched to a new musical form, the oratorio, which restored his fame and fortune. The most famous of his oratorios is The Messiah, a work that is still frequently performed.