1. George Frideric Handel (1685 – 1759)
Nationality and Background
G.F. Handel was born on February 23, 1685 in Halle, Germany. He
was one of the well known composer in the Baroque period. His
father was a Saxon barber-surgeon who discouraged Handel's study Adapted from: Tafelmusik‟s, 2002
of music. So Handel had to learn organ secretly (Baroque Composers and Musicians, n.d.).
At the age of seven Handel gave a dazzling performance on the organ in front of Duke of
Saxon-Weissenfels. His father was encouraged to let Handel take lessons in violin, harpsichord
and composition, as long as he promised to study law. He soon began composing sonatas and
motet while serving as the assistant organist at the Halle Domkirche (cathedral-church) (Lang,
P.H., 1966).
Though his father died in 1697, Handel, respecting his father's wishes, completed his study of
law. In 1703, Handel went to the north of Germany, where he would serve his musical
apprenticeship playing in the Hamburg opera orchestra. In 1704, when he was nineteen, he was
fortunate to hear one of the world‟s famous organists and composers at the time, Dietrich
Buxtehude in Lubeck. This experience inspired a life-long love of opera which three years later
took him to Italy. In Florence, Venice, and Rome his church compositions and instrumental music
as well as for his operas was a great accomplishment (Baroque Composers and Musicians, n.d.).
Handel's first opera Almira was produced in Hamburg in 1705 and later that same year
his second opera, Nero, premiered. In 1710, Handel returned to the north of Germany to become
the official composer to Georg Ludwig of Hanover who later became King George I of England.
During his time serving as the Kapellmeister to the court of Hanover Handel made many trips to
London where he became idolized for his Italian operas and keyboard performances. He found
London a much more congenial setting for his talents. Finally he remained in England for the rest
of his life, anglicizing the spelling of his name (originally Georg Friedrich Händel) and becoming
a naturalized British subject in 1726 (Tafelmusik, 2002).
Around 1733, when public enthusiasm for opera began to fade, Handel turned to the
composition of oratorios and established a long tradition of that form in England. Among his
best-known oratorios are Samson, Israel in Egypt, Judas Maccabaeus, Solomon, and the famous
Christmas oratorio, Messiah (1742). Messiah was an enormous success and so inspiring to King
George II that he rose to his feet at the "Hallelujah Chorus." To this day, it is customary for
audiences to stand at this part of Messiah performances (The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Classical
Music, p. 160).

2. At this point, Handel was no longer composing for the small, aristocratic class; instead,
he was composing for the large middle class i.e. composer to King George I and King George II.
The last eight years of Handel was lived in darkness, for he was blind. Queen Anne of England
gave him a lifelong pension. He died on Good Friday, 1759. England‟s respect for him was
evidence by having him buried in the Poet‟s Corner of Westminster Abbey (Baroquemusic, n.d.).
List of Compositions
By the time George Friedrich Handel moved to London in 1723, he had written
extensively sacred vocal music for the church and much secular instrumental music in his native
Germany and in Italy. Handel is the first international star in the history of music. In London he
reigned as the most popular opera composer. He was known as the master of Italian opera and
English oratorios (Lang, P.H., 1966).
The compositions by G.F. Handel are listed as follows:
Type Number of Example
composition
Operas 45  Agrippina
 Giulio Cesare in Egitto
 Rinaldo
Oratarios 29  Messiah
 Israel in Egypt
 Joshua
Vocal Chamber Music
 As on a sunshine summer's day
 Cantatas 100
 Aci, Galatea, e Polifemo
 Vocal Duets 21
 Trionfo del tempo e della verita(e del
 Vocal Trios 2
disinganno)
 Arias and songs 6
Church music 57  The King shall Rejoice
 Amen alleluja
 Alleluja amen
Orchestral Works
 Concerti for solo 24
instruments  Organ Concertos
 Concerti Grossi & 23  Water Music, Suite No.1 in F Major
Orchestral Concerti  Suite in G Major (from Daphne)
 Overtures,  Royal Fireworks Music
Symphonies, Suites 20
& Dances
Chamber Music  French chansons
 Solo Sonatas 22  Sonata in e Minor, for flute and continuo
 Trio Sonatas 25  Aria in F Major, No. 1 of 2 arias for 2 oboes, 2
 Various Settings 19 horns and bassoon

3. Keyboard Music
 Suites & Overtures 30  8 Suites de Pièces pour le Clavecin
 Single Movement  Suite à deux clavecins in c Minor
Works 153  Overture in c Minor to Amadigi
Classical Music Pages. 1995. „George Frideric Handel-List of Works‟. Viewed on 21 June 2009.
Available from: < http://w3.rz-berlin.mpg.de/cmp/handel_works_davie.html>.
Composition Style and Musical Characteristics
Compared to the chromatic style of Bach, Handel‟s work represents a diatonic mood.
There is monumentality and impression in his work (Annala, H. and Matlik, H., 2008). Most of
his Italian opera (39) was based on ancient Greek and Roman history or mythology. His English
oratorios were based on the Old Testament stories with titles Isreal, Egypt, Messiah, etc. His
composition has more change in texture than J.S. Bach, for example shift between polyphonic
and homophonic and major and minor keys (Baroque Composers and Musicians, n.d.).
Handel‟s aptitude for writing beautiful melodies is unsurpassed. He is known as an
international composer because of his blending of English, German, Italian and French styles of
music. He wrote only big pieces—never wrote anything that was small. Handel compositions are
mainly “borrowed” from other composers as this act is the practice during the Baroque period,
everyone did it. His works are frequently improvised from his own earlier works or from other
composers. Some say his use of borrowed music was deceptive, but others say that deceptive or
not, Handel took music that would have otherwise faded into obscurity and improved it and made
it memorable. Handel did “borrowed” more than the other composers. Defending himself, he
remarked, “They don‟t know what to do with those tunes, I do.” He gave added life, lustre and
beauty to melodies that previously seemed lifeless (Burrows, D., 1997).
Popularity of the Composer
"Handel is the greatest composer who ever lived.
I would bare my head and kneel at his grave"
-- L.V. Beethoven (1824)
Handel was recognized in England and by many in Germany as the greatest composer of
his day. The wide range of expression at his command is shown not only in the operas, with their
rich and varied arias, but also in the form he created, the English oratorio, where it is applied to
the fates of nations as well as individuals. He had a vivid sense of drama. But above all he had a
resource and originality of invention, to be seen in the extraordinary variety of compositions in
which melodic beauty, boldness and humor all play a part, that place him and J.S. Bach as the
supreme masters of the Baroque era in music (Classical Music Pages, 1996).

4. References
Annala, H. and Mätlik, H. 2008. Handbook of Guitar and Lute Composer. Finland: Mel Bay
Publications.
Baroque Composers and Musicians. n.d. „George Frideric Handel‟. Viewed on 21 June 2009.
Available from: <http://www.baroquemusic.org/bqxhandel.html>
Burrows, D. 1997. The Cambridge companion to Handel.UK: Cambridge University Press.
Classical Music Pages. 1995. „George Frideric Handel-List of Works‟. Viewed on 21 June 2009.
Available from: < http://w3.rz-berlin.mpg.de/cmp/handel_works_davie.html>.
Lang, P.H. 1966. George Frideric Handel. New York: WW. Norton and Company.
Mackay, A. 2002. Handel: Water Music. Ontario: Tafelmusik‟s.