Born in 1685, less than a month before the birth
of J.S. Bach, Handel´s work represents a culmination of the Baroque style. Handel and Bach together stand as two great representatives of Baroque music, and there are many similarities between the two: Both were born in the same part of Germany; both played many instruments but preferred the organ; and both were known for their improvisations.
Like Bach, Handel´s early training was as an organist, but unlike Bach, who never wrote an opera, Handel was drawn to opera early in his career, and remained primarily an opera composer throughout his life. After producing operas in Hamburg, Handel traveled to Italy and produced operas in Florence, Venice, and Rome, achieving a great success with his opera Agrippina, produced in Venice in 1709.
He returned to Germany and became the head of the court orchestra for the Elector of Hannover (later King George I of England.) He visited London in 1713, presenting compositions in honor of Queen Anne, and decided to remain in England after the Queen´s death. When his patron became King of England, Handel was officially on leave from his post at Hannover. (He was granted leave "for a reasonable amount of time" to visit London. However, two years had elapsed.)
At first relations were strained, but Handel was able to return to the King´s good graces, and eventually he received many favors, including a stipend of 400 pounds per year from the court. He became a British subject in 1727; it was then that he anglicized the spelling of his name to George Frideric Handel, from Georg Friedrich Händel.
In 1717, Handel composed one of his most famous works, the Water Music, written for a festival on the River Thames. The King´s boat floated down the river followed by a barge holding an orchestra of about 50 musicians playing Handel´s composition.
Other important instrumental works by Handel include concerti grossi (orchestral pieces featuring prominent passages for solo instruments), concerti for organ, and Music for the Royal Fireworks.
He also wrote sonatas and suites for flute, oboe, violin, and for solo keyboard. A prolific composer of opera for the London stage, Handel ambitiously sought success for his operas and became embroiled in rivalries with competitors, leading him eventually to found an opera company at Covent Garden, still the home of England´s most prominent opera company. However, as an entrepreneur of opera, Handel never achieved great success.
Perhaps for this reason he turned his attention to the composition of oratorios, in which he achieved greatness. Often choosing biblical texts, he composed well-known works such as Judas Maccabaeus.
While visiting Ireland in 1741 he wrote his greatest masterpiece, the oratorio Messiah, which premiered in Dublin in 1742. Messiah achieved a great success when it was presented in London the next year, and has remained Handel´s most popular work.
Handel´s cosmopolitan style and his love of drama gave his works lasting popularity. His operas, many of which were not successful in his own day, are receiving frequent performances, including revivals and productions of neglected works, and are growing more popular with today´s audiences.
