Listening Through The Dictionary of Composers and Their Music
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Bio
Handel was born in Halle which is in modern-day Germany to a medical professional. He studied at the University of Halle and was the organist at the local Calvinist Cathedral, despite being a Lutheran. He cut his compositional teeth there though none of the compositions have survived. He moved from there to Hamburg where he composed his first Operas and began to gain notoriety. Ferdinando de' Medici brought him to Italy where he worked in Rome composing music for the RCC. He received an invitation to visit London and considered England home for the rest of his life. He settled in Middlesex where he supported the formation of the Royal Academy of Music. He was quite prolific, composing 42 operas, over a hundred cantatas, and scores of chamber arrangements including some of the most famous pieces in history such as The Messiah.
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