George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)

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Handel studied under Zachau, the organist of the Lutheran Church at Halle, and quickly became a stunning instrumentalist. After three years of training, Zachau felt that he had nothing more to teach Handel. Later, Handel performed as the assistant organist at the Halle Cathedral, and wrote compositions that were performed at church services. In accordance with his father’s will, Handel began the study of law. However, within a year he was offered the position of organist at the Cathedral of Moritzburg. At merely the age of eighteen, such an offer was a great honor, and Handel happily accepted it.

In 1703 Handel resigned from his post, and pursued greater musical opportunities in Hamburg, the center of German opera at the time. Handel was employed as a violinist- composer in the opera house, and he composed his first operas, Almira and Nero, which met with great success. Handel’s accomplishments incited the envy of competing composers, and Hamburg quickly became an unpleasant environment for Handel. In 1706 he departed for Italy where he composed his first oratorios, and was acclaimed by the royals. Handel carved out an internationally respected name for himself before returning to Germany at the age of twenty five.

Eventually, Handel settled in England. His initial compositions followed the norms of Italian operas. Yet, his later pieces took on a style of their own. Following a stroke and the failure of some operas, Handel developed a unique mode of composition, the oratorio. He is best known for his oratorios, choral dramas that emphasize arias and recitations. His use of choruses and religious sentiment in these pieces evolved into a new form of musical entertainment. Similar to operas, however, devoid of scenery, the oratorio became a genre of its own. Handel’s famous oratorio, Messiah, received tremendous attention prior to its opening day, and was much awaited. Tickets sold for atrocious amounts, and music lovers publicized it constantly. Unfortunately, it was unsuccessful as audiences could not acclimate themselves to Handel’s use of prose instead of a poetic text. Nonetheless, Handel was a unique musician who did not limit his life work to operas and oratorios. He wrote anthems, psalms, and chamber music as well.

Handel endured changes in his public standing repeatedly throughout his musical career. Sadly, toward the close of his life he suffered from paralytic strokes and cataracts which left him blind. Despite his inability to see, Handel continued to perform and conduct. He was an inspiration to other composers and musicians, and died shortly after conducting a successful performance of Messiah. Beethoven revered Handel’s strength and creativity and stated, “Handel is the greatest composer who ever lived. I would bare my head and kneel at his grave” (1824).