FEATURED ESSAYS 1. George Frideric Handel 2. Georg Fredrich Handel 3. Georg Handel 4. George Frideric Handel 5. George Frederick Handel 6. George III, Our Last King 7. Of Mice And Men: George And Lenni... 8. The Baroque Era 9. Of Mice And Men 2 - - 10. Of Mice And Men: Life, Dreams And... 11. Of Mice And Men 5 12. Of Mice And Men 2 13. Defense Statement 14. Of Mice And Men - What Are Friend...

George Frideric Handel


                 Table of Contents - Handel

Chapter    Name/Title                                 Page
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1.          Handel                                      1
2.          Life                                        1
3.          Later Years                                1-2
4.          Works                                       2
5.          My Comments                                2-3
6.          BIBLIOGRAPHY                               4


                            Handel

     George Frideric Handel was born in Halle, Germany, on February 23,
1685. He died in London on April 14,1759 and was buried in Westminister
Abbey. Handel was one of the famous composers of the Baroque Period. This
great composer was mostly known very well for his English Oratorio,
particularly the Messiah. His trouble in his operas that he made lied
within his uncertain temper and uncertain lack of tact.

    Handel first learned how to play from an instrument called a clavichord.
This was like a forerunner of the piano.  With the help of one of Handel's
friend, they smuggled the instrument up to his attic in his house. Every
night he would sneak up to the attic after everyone was asleep and he'd
play it until he finally mastered it. The instrument could not be heard
through the closed doors. When he was about twelve, he went to Berlin to
study and while there he became well-known for playing the Harpsichord.
Handel's parents wanted Handel to grow up in the profession of law, but
music was in Handel's blood. When Handel's father soon realized this, he
sent Handel away to study in Berlin. In Berlin, Handel was taught under the
great composer Frideric Wilhelm Zachau.

    One of the great influences on Handle was while he was writing the
Messiah in three weeks. Handle, before writing the Messiah, had rented a
theatre for his own use, and though he had some successes, he had more
failures. He was bankrupt twice through his opera business. If Handel had
been more successful with his with his operas, we would never have had the
grand oratorios for which his name is most famous for now. This is because
when he had exhausted himself with the operas, he started to make the
oratorios. He was the director of music in Italy for several years and he
was a composer of the Italian style music in England and even absorbed the
characteristics of English music especially English Choral Music.

    Like was said before, Handel wrote many oratorios and operas. He didn't
have many famous operas, but he had some.  Some of his operas are: Giulio
Casare, Tamerlano, Orlando, Alcina, and Serse. He had many different
oratorios though. Of the many, his one that he is most famous for is the
Messiah for it is not so much dramatic as Meditative. I have included a few
pages from his play Israel in Egypt. The most famous instrument of his time
was a mixture of things, but he preferred the Violin while making the
operas and oratorios.

    My impression on Handel is that he was a very creative person always
thinking up new and recent ideas for his time.  I would have liked to live
his life because he was able to sneak up to his attic late at night and
because he made some very famous plays which are being revived and the
oratorios like Messiah which are being said every Christmas by some family.
Handel was probably inspired to write that wonderful music was heroic
historical figures for the plays and the Bible for the oratorios. I admired
Handel for his will to keep on making music after so many people made fun
of him with this song:

  "  Some say, compared to Buononcini      "
  "  That Mynheer Handel's but a ninny;    "
  "  Others aver that he to Handel         "
  "  Is scarcely fit to hold a candle.     "
  "  Strange all this difference should be "
  "  'Twixt tweedle-dum and tweedle-dee.   "


                         Bibliography
1) The Book Of Knowledge - The Grolier Society
Published by: The Amalgamated Press    Copyright: 1926-35

2) The Prodigy Service   - Interactive Peronal Service
Made By: Grolier Electronic Publishing, Inc. Copyright: 1990