GEORG FRIEDRICH HÄNDEL
(23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759)
Georg Friedrich Händel born in Halle in the Duchy of Magdeburg (province of Brandenburg-Prussia) was a German-British Baroque composer, famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos.
He received critical musical training in Halle, Hamburg and Italy before settling in London (1712) and becoming a naturalized British subject in 1727. By then he was strongly influenced by the great composers of the Italian Baroque and the middle-German polyphonic choral tradition.
Händel displayed considerable musical talent at an early age. Nevertheless, the young Händel was permitted to take lessons in musical composition and keyboard technique from Friedrich Wilhelm Zachow, the organist of the Liebfrauenkirche, Halle.
In 1702, Händel began the study of law at the University of Halle, but after his father's death the following year, he abandoned law for music, becoming the organist at the Protestant Cathedral.
Within fifteen years, Händel, a dramatic genius, started three commercial opera companies to supply the English nobility with Italian opera, but the public came to hear the vocal bravura of the soloists rather than the music.
In 1723 G.F. Handel moved into a newly built house at Brook Street, London, in England, which he rented until his death in 1759.
In 1727 G.F. Händel was commissioned to write four anthems for the coronation ceremony of King George II. One of these, "Zadok the Priest", has been played at every British coronation ceremony since.
Händel was director of the Royal Academy of Music from 1720 to 1728 and a partner of J.J. Heidegger in the management of the King's Theatre from 1729 to 1734. Händel also had a long association with the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden, in London, England, where many of his Italian operas were premiered.
With a physical breakdown, he changed direction creatively and addressed the middle class. As "Alexander's Feast", in 1736, was well received, Händel made a transition to English choral works.
In April 1737, at age 52, he suffered a stroke or some other malady which left his right arm temporarily paralysed and stopped him from performing. He also complained of difficulties in focusing his sight.
After his success with "Messiah", in 1742, he never performed an Italian opera again. Händel was only partly successful with his performances of English Oratorio on mythical or biblical themes, but when he arranged a performance of "Messiah" to benefit the Foundling Hospital, in 1750, the critique ended.
The pathos of Händel's oratorio is an ethical one; they are hallowed not by liturgical dignity but by the moral ideals of humanity. Almost blind, and having lived in England for almost fifty years, he died a respected and rich man.
Händel's compositions
Händel's compositions includes 42 operas, 29 oratorios, more than 120 cantatas, trios and duets, numerous arias, chamber music, a large number of ecumenical pieces, odes and serenatas, and 16 organ concerti.
His oratorio "Messiah", with its "Hallelujah" chorus, is among the most famous works of classical music and is a popular choice for performances in the Christmas season.
Among Händel's best-known instrumental works are the Concerti Grossi Opus 3 and 6; "The Cuckoo and the Nightingale", in which birds are heard calling during passages played in different keys representing the vocal ranges of two birds; and his 16 keyboard suites, especially "The Harmonious Blacksmith".
Collected editions of Händel's works include the Händel-Gesellschaft (HG) and the Hallische Händel-Ausgabe (HHA); however, the more recent Händel-Werke-Verzeichnis (HWV) publication is now commonly used to number his works. For example, Händel's Messiah can be referred to as: HG xlv, HHA i/17, or HWV 56. Some of Händel's music is also numbered based on initial publications, for example a 1741 publication by Walsh labeled twelve of Händel's concerti grossi as "Opus 6".
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