George Frideric Handel

Born

23 February 1685, Halle, Germany

Died

14 April 1759, London, England

Life

Georg Friedrich Händel was born in Halle on 23 February 1685. He spent 1706 to 1710 in Italy, and in 1710 became Kapellmeister to the Elector of Hanover, the future King George I of Britain. Later that year he travelled to England, and he made London his home, becoming a British subject in 1727.

From July 1723 he lived at 25 Brook Street in Mayfair, and that is where he wrote Messiah in 1741. It was first performed in Dublin on 13 April 1742. He wrote four anthems for the coronation of George II in 1727, and one of them, Zadok the Priest, has been sung at every British coronation since. He died in London on 14 April 1759 and is buried in Westminster Abbey.

Why play Handel

His first printed collection of keyboard music, eight suites, was published in London in 1720, and his shorter keyboard dances are a lovely step up for learners: try the Gavotte in G major, the Menuet in D minor, or the cheeky Impertinence, a short harpsichord piece in G minor.

And if you want the big tune, the Hallelujah Chorus from Messiah is here in an easy version.

When Handel lived