George Frideric Handel

Lore & Background

Handel was born in 1685 in Halle to Georg Händel, a barber-surgeon who served the court of Saxe-Weissenfels and the Margraviate of Brandenburg, and Dorothea Taust. According to his first biographer John Mainwaring, his father was 'alarmed' at Handel's early musical propensity and took every measure to oppose it, including forbidding musical instruments in the house. Mainwaring tells the story of Handel secretly getting a little clavichord conveyed to a room at the top of the house, where he would steal to play when the family was asleep. Sometime between ages seven and nine, Handel accompanied his father to Weissenfels and made his way to the court organ in the palace chapel of the Holy Trinity, where he surprised everyone with his playing. Duke Johann Adolf I, overhearing this, recommended that Handel be given musical instruction. His father then engaged Friedrich Wilhelm Zachow, organist at the Halle parish church, to instruct Handel—the only teacher he ever had. Zachow introduced him to a vast collection of German and Italian music, and Handel copied selected scores, recalling later, 'I used to write like the devil in those days.' He learned harpsichord, violin, organ, and especially the hautbois (oboe).

Reader's Guide

Handel started three commercial opera companies to supply the English nobility with Italian opera. In 1737 he had a physical breakdown, changed direction creatively, addressed the middle class and made a transition to English choral works. After his success with Messiah in 1742, he never composed an Italian opera again. His orchestral Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks remain steadfastly popular. One of his four coronation anthems, Zadok the Priest, has been performed at every British coronation since 1727. He died a respected and rich man in 1759, aged 74, and was given a state funeral at Westminster Abbey. Interest in Handel's music has grown since the mid-20th century. The musicologist Winton Dean wrote that 'Handel was not only a great composer; he was a dramatic genius of the first order.' His music was admired by Classical-era composers, especially Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven.

Did You Know?

• Handel was born in 1685, the same year as Johann Sebastian Bach and Domenico Scarlatti.
• His father, Georg Händel, was a barber-surgeon who served the court of Saxe-Weissenfels and the Margraviate of Brandenburg.
• Handel's only teacher was Friedrich Wilhelm Zachow, organist at the Halle parish church.
• One of his four coronation anthems, Zadok the Priest, has been performed at every British coronation since 1727.
• After his success with Messiah in 1742, Handel never composed an Italian opera again.

A Career Spanning Genres and Nations

Handel's professional life was defined by an extraordinary range of output and a remarkable geographic arc. Born in Halle in 1685, he spent formative years in Hamburg and Italy before establishing himself in London in 1712, where he would spend the bulk of his career and become a naturalised British subject in 1727. His compositional palette drew on two powerful wellsprings: the middle-German polyphonic choral tradition and composers of the Italian Baroque. The synthesis of these influences placed his work at one of the peaks of the 'high baroque' style. He brought Italian opera to its highest development, created the genres of English oratorio and organ concerto, and introduced a new style into English church music. To sustain his operatic ambitions, he started three commercial opera companies to supply the English nobility with Italian opera. His orchestral works, particularly Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks, have maintained a firm grip on popular performance to this day. Across all these domains, he is consistently recognised as one of the greatest composers of his age.

The Breakdown and the Rebirth

The most dramatic turning point in Handel's creative life came in 1737, when a physical breakdown forced him to halt. Upon his recovery, he changed direction creatively, addressed the middle class and made a transition to English choral works. The triumph of Messiah in 1742 sealed the new direction so completely that he never composed an Italian opera again. His legacy in the ceremonial sphere is equally unbroken: one of the four coronation anthems he composed, Zadok the Priest, has been performed at every British coronation since 1727. Handel died a respected and rich man in 1759, aged 74, and was given a state funeral at Westminster Abbey, a recognition of his standing as a national cultural figure.

Halle, the Attic, and Weissenfels

Handel was born in 1685 in Halle, a city that had once thrived on salt mining and Hanseatic trade but lay impoverished after the Thirty Years' War. His father, Georg Händel, was a barber-surgeon who served the court of Saxe-Weissenfels and the Margraviate of Brandenburg, and who had guided his five children from his first marriage into the medical profession. According to Handel's first biographer, John Mainwaring, the father was 'alarmed' by his young son's musical propensity and took every measure to oppose it, including forbidding any musical instrument in the house. Mainwaring tells the story of Handel finding means to get a little clavichord privately conveyed to a room at the top of the house, where he constantly stole when the family was asleep. Although later scholars like Schoelcher found this nearly 'incredible' and a feat of 'poetic imagination,' Handel clearly possessed keyboard skill before any formal training. Sometime between ages seven and nine, he accompanied his father to Weissenfels, where he made his way to the court organ in the palace chapel of the Holy Trinity and surprised everyone with his playing. Duke Johann Adolf I, overhearing this and noting the youth of the performer, recommended that Handel be given musical instruction—the Duke whom Handel thereafter always regarded as his benefactor.

A Legacy That Outlived the Baroque

Handel's reputation has not dimmed with the centuries; interest in his music has grown since the mid-20th century. The musicologist Winton Dean captured the breadth of his achievement by calling him not merely a great composer but 'a dramatic genius of the first order.' His influence on subsequent generations of composers was profound: his music was admired by Classical-era composers, especially Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven. In the ceremonial life of Britain, his presence is unbroken: one of the four coronation anthems he wrote, Zadok the Priest, has been performed at every British coronation since 1727, a tradition that stretches across nearly three centuries. His orchestral pieces, Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks, remain steadfastly popular. Handel died a respected and rich man in 1759, aged 74, and was given a state funeral at Westminster Abbey, an honour that spoke to the depth of his integration into British cultural life.

Common Misconceptions (Editorial)

A common misconception is that Handel was born British; in fact, he was born in Halle (in modern-day Germany) and did not become a naturalised British subject until 1727. Another misconception is that he had multiple formal teachers; the facts show that Friedrich Wilhelm Zachow was his only teacher. Some also mistakenly believe that Handel’s father wholeheartedly supported his musical career, when in reality his father initially opposed it and forbade musical instruments in the house.

Why It Matters (Editorial)

Handel’s work endures because he fundamentally shaped the musical traditions of England, creating the English oratorio and organ concerto while elevating Italian opera to new heights. His coronation anthem *Zadok the Priest* has remained a living tradition, performed at every British coronation since 1727, and pieces like *Messiah* continue to move audiences worldwide, proving that his synthesis of German, Italian, and English styles still speaks powerfully across centuries.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"Whether I was in my body or out of my body I know not. God knows it!" — George Frideric Handel "Quoted in The Harvard Magazine (December 1862), p. 141." — George Frideric Handel "On composing the "Hallelujah Chorus" in 1741." — George Frideric Handel "I did think I did see all heaven before me, and the great God himself." — George Frideric Handel