Guide Note

George Frideric Handel was a Baroque composer of concertos, operas and oratorios.

Fast Facts

Born: February 23, 1685 (the same year as Johann Sebastian Bach and Domenico Scarlatti)
Died: April 14, 1759
Was a skillful harpsichordist and organist by the age of 7
Began to compose music at the age of 9
Suffered a stroke at age 52 that caused temporary paralysis
Was a devoted patron of the London Foundling Hospital
Affected by blindness in his last eight years
Never married and kept a private personal life
Bach said: "Handelis the only person I would wish to see before I die, and the only person I would wish to be, were I not Bach"
was referred to by Beethoven as "the master of us all."

Life

From childhood, it was clear that Handel had a natural gift for music and had already started composing original works by the age of nine. Despite his fathers wishes that he become a Lawyer, Handel was permitted to learn composing and piano from renowned teacher Friedrich Wilhelm Zachau. He eventually gave in to his father's wishes and began studying law in 1702 at the University of Halle but quickly dropped out after the death of his father a year later. After moving to Hamburg and accepting a job as a violinist he began writing operas and gained popularity throughout Europe. He continued to compose music through most of the early 18th Century and his most famous work is his Messiah oratorio, set to the text from the King James Bible. In 1750, Handel was involved in a carriage accident, which eventually led to blindness. Handel died in 1759 in London.

Notable Works

Categories

Entertainment | Music | Classical

View Note History

George Frideric Handel

The Mahalo Top 7

Wikipedia: George Frideric Handel
Classical Music Archives: George Frideric Handel
Fan Site: Handel on the Web
Audio: "Chorus Hallelujah!" (Time 03:30)
ChoralWiki: George Frideric Handel
Video: "Hallelujah Chorus" (Time 03:42)
Project Gutenburg: Handel by Edward J. Dent

George Frideric Handel Recordings

Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project: Department of Special Collections
Kunst der Fuge: George Frideric Handel
Classical MIDI Connection: George Frideric Handel
Wikimedia: George Frideric Handel | Handel's Messiah
Rhapsody: George Frideric Handel

George Frideric Handel Sheet Music and Scores

Internet Music Score Library Project: George Frideric Handel
Mutopia: George Frideric Handel Music Listing
Werner Icking Music Archive: George Frideric Handel
The Sheet Music Archive: George Frideric Handel
Sheet Music Plus: George Frideric Handel

List of George Frideric Handel Compositions

Classical Music Pages: George Frideric Handel List of Works
Wikipedia: List of Compositions by George Frideric Handel
Handel on the Web: Compositions
Pianopedia: Georg Friedrich Händel
Karadar Classical Music: Catalogue of George Frideric Haendel's Works

George Frideric Handel Images

Google Image Search: George Frideric Handel
Wikimedia: George Frideric Handel Portraits
Live Search Images: George Frideric Handel
Handel Haus: George Frideric Handel Portraits
National Portrait Gallery: George Frideric Handel

George Frideric Handel Videos

YouTube & Google Video: George Frideric Handel Search
YouTube: Fritz Reiner conducts Handel (Time 04:10)
YouTube: David Daniels Sings "Ombra Mai Fu" from Xerxes (Time 03:58)
YouTube: "Hallelujah Chorus" from The Young Soulful Messiah (Time 07:45)
YouTube: Lorraine Hunt Lieberson Sings Handel (Time 08:02)

George Frideric Handel Profiles and Fan Sites

Last.fm: Georg Friedrich Händel
IMDb: George Frideric Handel
Teri Noel Towe: George Frideric Handel
MySpace Page: George Frideric Handel
Yahoo! Music Groups: Handel L

George Frideric Handel Societies and Festivals

Official Site: Handel House
Official Site: London Handel Society
Official Site: Goettingen International Handel Festival
Official Site: Handel and Haydn Society
Official Site: American Handel Society
Official Site: Handel in Halle

George Frideric Handel News

Google News: George Frideric Handel
Topix: George Frideric Handel News
Reverbiage Feeds from National Public Radio: George Frideric Handel
NPR: 'Too Hot to Handel': A Modern 'Messiah' (2006)
Time: "Bach and Handel At the Wall" (1985)

George Frideric Handel Biographies, Articles, and Miscellaneous

Naxos.com: George Frideric Handel Biography
ChristianityToday.com: George Frideric Handel
Baroque Musicians and Composers: George Frideric Handel
Handel on the Web: The "Case" of George Frideric Handel (1989)

George Frideric Handel Merchandise

Amazon.com: George Frideric Handel Books, Music, and DVDs
eBay: George Frideric Handel Merchandise
CD Universe: George Frideric Handel Discography
AllPosters.com: George Frideric Handel Posters
Too Hot, LLC: Too Hot to Handel

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