Gourt > Arts > Music > Composition > Composers > H > Handel, George Frederic (1)
George Frideric Handel (February 23, 1685 – April 14, 1759) was a German/British Baroque composer who was a leading composer of concerti grossi, operas and oratorios. Born in Germany as Georg Friedrich Händel (), he lived most of his adult life in England, becoming a subject of the British crown in 1727. His most famous piece is Messiah, an oratorio set to texts from the King James Bible; other well-known works are Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks. He deeply influenced many of the composers who came after him, including Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven, and his work helped lead the transition from the Baroque to the Classical era.
Biography
Handel was born at Halle in Saxony in 1685, the same year that both Johann Sebastian Bach and Domenico Scarlatti were born. He displayed considerable musical talent at an early age; by the age of seven he was a skilful performer on the harpsichord and organ, and at nine he began to compose music. However, his father, a barber-surgeon to the court of Saxe-Weissenfels, was opposed to George Frideric pursuing a musical career, preferring him to study law. Nevertheless, the young Handel was permitted to take lessons in musical composition and keyboard techniques from Friedrich Wilhelm Zachau, the organist of the Liebfrauenkirche, Halle.
In 1702, in obedience to his father's wishes, he 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 Calvinist Cathedral. The following year he moved to Hamburg, accepting a position as violinist in the orchestra of the opera-house at Hamburg. Here his first two operas, Almira and Nero, were produced early in 1705. Two other early operas, Daphne and Florindo, were produced at Hamburg in 1708. During the years 1707-1709 Handel traveled and studied in Italy. When opera was banned by local authorities, Handel found work as a composer of sacred music and wrote some pieces in operatic style. The famous Dixit Dominus (1707) is from this era. His Rodrigo was produced at Florence in 1707, and his Agrippina at Venice in 1708. Two oratorios, La Resurrezione and Il Trionfo del Tempo, were produced at Rome in 1709 and 1710, respectively.
More on [ George Frideric Handel ]
Baroque :: Composers
English :: Europe
German :: Europe
Performers :: Harpsichord
Organists :: Organ
Classical :: Violinists
Composers :: Choral
Conductors :: Classical
Composers :: Lieder
Composers :: Opera
Authors and Composers :: Hymns
@MIIXED_CHICA its on George Frederic Handel
Treeeezy (Travon Henry) Mon, 07 Dec 2009 04:35:19 -0000
@MIIXED_CHICA its on George Frederic Handel
Composer George Frederic Handel dueled w/ friend Johann Mattheson over orchestra pit seating. A coat button saved him from a fatal stabbing.
random_muse (Heather Klinkhamer) Sun, 06 Dec 2009 16:34:11 -0000
Composer George Frederic Handel dueled w/ friend Johann Mattheson over orchestra pit seating. A coat button saved him from a fatal stabbing.
Chorus performs Handel classic: ... in the annual presentation of George Frederic Handel's âMessiah Part On.. http://bit.ly/6Sw5cE
RobertHartzell (Robert Hartzell) Sun, 06 Dec 2009 06:24:00 -0000
Chorus performs Handel classic: ... in the annual presentation of George Frederic Handel's “Messiah Part On.. http://bit.ly/6Sw5cE
Music for Galway Handel 250 YearsJoyful Mystery: Featuring Sonatas by George Frederic Handel and Heinrich von Biber... http://bit.ly/69SPCA
nuigalway (NUI Galway) Wed, 02 Dec 2009 02:28:38 -0000
Music for Galway Handel 250 YearsJoyful Mystery: Featuring Sonatas by George Frederic Handel and Heinrich von Biber... http://bit.ly/69SPCA
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) - Biographical information, catalog of compositions, recent recordings and reviews, bibliographies, organizations, and links. (by Brad Leissa)
Classic Cat - Directory of mp3s made available by the performing artists.
Meta Description: [ Links to free Handel Music on the internet ]
Classical Music Archives - Handel - Over 600 works by Handel (including the complete Messiah) and two biographies (Concise Oxford Dictionary of music.) Works offered in MIDI, MP3, and Windows Media audio formats, including live recordings of featured artists.
Meta Description: [ The Classical Music Archives is the largest collection of complete classical music files (MIDI and MP3) on the web. Most composers are represented. A search engine is included. ]
Classical Music MIDI Page: George Frideric Handel - 30+ MIDI files.
Classical Net: Handel - Discography, links.
Georg Frideric Handel - biography (at the Classical Music Pages)
Georg Friedrich Händel - Filmography listing movies and television programs using or based on his works, brief biography, and links to related material from the Internet Movie Database (IMDb).
Meta Description: [ Georg Friedrich Händel - Filmography, Awards, Biography, Agent, Discussions, Photos, News Articles, Fan Sites ]
Georg Friedrich Händel (1685-1759) - Listing of vocal works and lyrics, many in Italian with English translations, from the Lied and Art Song Texts Page at REC Music.
Meta Description: [ Free web archive of over 15,000 texts (lyrics) to Lieder and other classical vocal pieces in more than 25 languages. Thousands of translations to English included. ]
George Frederic Handel Discussion Port - Forum; chat. (@classicals.com)
George Frederick Handel (1685-1759) - Detailed biography, large portrait, scores, orchestral and organ works, related composers, and links from the Here Of A Sunday Morning radio program.
Meta Description: [ Biographies of composers of Early Music complementing Here Of A Sunday Morning the radio program ]
George Frideric Handel - Portraits, museum information, letters and pamphlets, and links compiled by Teri Noel Towe.
George Frideric Handel - Biography and musicography by Daryl Lee plus links. From the Michael O'Neal Singers' Composer of the Month feature.
Meta Description: [ The Michael O'Neal Singers, a symphonic chorus of 125 auditioned voices and a chamber ensemble of sixteen voices, perform a diverse repertoire of choral music ranging from masterworks to Broadway favorites. ]
George Frideric Handel: A Man of His Time - Brief biographical note, selected works, quotes, recommended reading and recordings, other resources, and timeline from Humanities Web.
George Frideric Händel - Karadar dictionary entry with life, works, catalogue, operas, illustrations, related composers, and MIDI audio examples of his works.
Meta Description: [ Musica Classica - Classical Music - Klassische Musik - Karadar Bertoldi Ensemble - Dizionario della Musica Classica - Classical Music - Klassische Musik - Karadar Bertoldi Ensemble ]
Handel and the Clarinet - Scholarly article exploring contradictory evidence as to whether or not he wrote specifically for the instrument from ICA's Clarinet Journal anthology by R. B. Chatwin.
Handel at Adlington Hall - Information about Handel's friendship with the Legh family and visits to their home, Adlington Hall, Cheshire. He also played Adlington Hall organ, built by Bernard Father Smith in 1670.
Meta Description: [ Handel's association with the Legh family and visits to their home at Adlington Hall, Cheshire. ]
Handel's Clarinet - Brief essay exploring whether or not he wrote specifically for the instrument or if indications actually point to the trumpet from ICA's Clarinet Journal anthology, Jan La Rue.
Handel, George Frideric - Biography tracing his education and development into one of the premier composers of the Baroque period and in all of classical music with summary list of works. From the Grove Concise Dictionary of Music entry at WQXR radio.
Handel, George Frideric (1685 - 1759) - Biographical data, recommended CDs, books and sheet music, bibliography, and links to biographical essays.
Meta Description: [ This page contains basic and accurate biographical information and links to essays about the Baroque composer Handel. ]
KUNST DER FUGE. Händel page. - Free and complete MIDI files of the fuguistic compositions, 'Messiah' included.
London Handel Society - Sponsors an annual festival celebrating Handel and his contemporaries in London. Society information, Festival programme and locations.
NewOlde.com - George Frideric Handel - Recommended Handel links, books and music editions, with brief descriptions.
Meta Description: [ Latest research and information about George Frideric Handel including books, articles, sheet music, recordings, links ]
The American Handel Society - Events, membership, and subscription information.
The Czech Handel Society - Information and aims of the Society. Basics about G.F. Handel. Publications and recordings offered and concerts and lectures organized by the Society.
Meta Description: [ Main Page of the Czech Handel Society ]
The Handel House Museum - 18th century house where George Frideric Handel lived for 36 years until his death in 1759. Restored to reflect the life and times of the composer. Hours of operation and directions.
The Rise and Fall of Henry Brydges, Duke of Chandos - The dramatic story of the Duke of Chandos, for whom Handel composed the Chandos Anthems - his rise to riches and fall to financial ruin within ten years. Illustrated.
Meta Description: [ The Rise and Fall of James Brydges, Duke of Chandos, for whom Handel composed the Chandos Anthems. ]
| George Frideric Handel - The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba | |
| Next Video | |
