GERMAN BORN, LONDON BOUND: GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL

Over his lifetime, George Frideric Handel composed 42 operas—all but one in Italian, 25 oratorios, more than 120 cantatas, 18 concerti grossi, and 12 organ concertos, as well as immeasurable trios and duets, arias, chamber music, liturgical pieces, odes and serenades. His contributions to Baroque music were vast and he earned the praise of churches, nobility, and public patronage alike with his virtuosic combination of German-influenced lush harmonics, with structure, all while balancing strong emotiveness.

Handel was born in Saxony on February 24, 1685. Handel showed an early interest and aptitude for music, yet his father forbade any “meddling with musical instruments” in the home, and pushed him toward the study of law. In spite of this, Handel persisted in his musical study, and at age 17, was appointed organist at his local church, launching his career. Soon after, he moved to Hamburg to play in the orchestra and while there, composed three operas—including his debut opera, Almira (1705) when he was only 19.

Word of Handel’s talent solidified his career by ensuring a steady stream of commissions and wealthy patronage. He moved to Italy in 1706, establishing his opera career there as well, and subsequently introducing Italian opera to the London stage—his opera Rinaldo, when he established a home there in 1711. London was full of successful playwrights, offering Handel a great amount of source material, yet opera was still foreign to audiences there. In 1719, the first Italian opera company, The Royal Academy of Music, was founded under Queen Anne’s patronage with Handel as the Master of the Orchestra, a position he held when he wrote Giulio Cesare.

Portrait of G.F Handel, by Balthasaar Denner, 1726

Postcard of London, 1751

LOCATION, LOCATION! We now call the King’s Theatre in London, where many of Handel’s operas premiered, Her Majesty’s Theatre—presently home to a long-running West End show, The Phantom of the Opera.

Handel’s early style resembled the earliest Italian operatic conventions, with his opera Agrippina (1709) marking the beginning of his opera seria compositions. Handel was also prolific; composing five operas in one year (1724-25): Ottone, Flavio, Giulio Cesare, Tamerlano, and Rodelinda. As far as subject matter, his operas often constituted of a love story within the dramatization of an ancient tale—biblical or otherwise. He was fascinated by other lands and cultures—influenced no doubt by growing British exploration and colonization of Asia—as exemplified in Orlando (1733), one of several of operas he set in Persia. Handel’s lifetime was dominated high society intrigue, political affiliations with nobility, and overseas trade in newly colonized lands, all under an empire steeped in faith in the monarchy and God.

“My lord, said Handel, ‘I should be sorry if I only entertained them, I wish to make them better”

–James Beattie, Lawyer & critic, 1780

In 1727, Handel was commissioned to write the anthem for King George II’s coronation. The oratorio he wrote, Zadok the Priest, has been used for every English coronation since. After finishing his final opera, Deidamia (1741), he transitioned completely into writing oratorios—some of which are to this day, the most lasting and frequently performed vocal music in English. An oratorio tells a story like an opera using similar mythological or biblical sources, but is performed in a concert hall without scenery, costumes, or staging. Some of Handel’s oratorios included Israel in Egypt (1739), Hercules (1744), and the Messiah (1741), the latter of which he wrote in only 24 days!

“Handel had this power…you may despise what you like, but you cannot contradict Handel”

– George Bernard Shaw, Playwright and Poet, 1918.

Handel lived the rest of his life in England as a citizen. He died at age 36, and is buried in Westminster Abbey under a statue of himself holding a score of his beloved most recognizable oratorio, the Messiah. Even as he was born German, Handel is widely accepted as an English composer, and rests next to famous Englishmen including Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin. His operas and oratorios are the most enduring and beloved of all his works, and he is known forever for introducing opera to the British people.

DISCUSS: What famous musicians or other artists can you think of that are claimed to be from a certain place, even if they were born elsewhere and chose to build their life away from their home country?