George Frideric Handel was born on February 23, 1685. Handel was interested in music from a young age despite his lack of fatherly approval. In 1703 Handel went to the opera house in Hamburg to play second violin there. In 1704, the most influential member of the opera house, Reinhard Keiser, had to move due to his many debts. This gave chances for other composers to have more of a place in the spotlight. This really kicked things off for Handel who was able to compose his first opera during this time. 

Handel traveled around quite a bit after Keiser returned to the opera house. He went to many places such as Italy, Hanover, Düsseldorf, and Londen. He continued to compose operas around the places he went but once he got to London he did quite a few commissions for different monarchs there. Here in London in 1718 he composed the very first english oratorio, Esther. In 1723 Handel finally got a house in London where he would live for the rest of his life. While in London he would do quite a bit of work for the monarchy all the time, including composing for Queen Caroline’s funeral. This whole time he was still composing operas as well. He began to grow more well known for his english work rather than the operas he was making. 

In 1741 Handel composed Messiah which was then performed in April of 1742. It had a mixed reception because large sections were taken directly from scripture and people were worried about scripture being sung in theater. “Rejoice Greatly” was an aria sung in scene 5 by a Soprano singer. 

Handel eventually fell into a rhythm of composing in the summers in time for a Lent performance season in spring. From 1749 onwards Messiah returned annually to be performed during this season. Handel eventually passed away on April 14th, 1759.

Sources:

Hicks, A.  Handel [Händel, Hendel], George Frideric. Grove Music Online. Retrieved 8 Apr. 2022, from https://www-oxfordmusiconline-com.pointloma.idm.oclc.org/grovemusic/view....

“Messiah, HWV 56 (Handel, George Frideric).” IMSLP, https://imslp.org/wiki/Messiah,_HWV_56_(Handel,_George_Frideric).

Howard, Luke. “The History of Messiah and George Frideric Handel.” The Tabernacle Choir - Official Website, Intellectual Reserve, Inc., 19 Feb. 2021, https://www.thetabernaclechoir.org/messiah/historical-perspective-on-mes....

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