George Frideric Handel

Derek Alsop (University of Chester)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.05: English Writing and Culture from the Glorious Revolution to the French Revolution, 1689-1789.
Vol. editors: Paul Baines (University of Liverpool), Daniel Cook (University of Dundee), Pat Rogers (University of South Florida), Nicholas Seager (University of Keele)

Dates

Born 23 Feb 1685
Died 14 Apr 1759
Activity 1711-1759

Places

Born in Germany
Active in England; Germany; Italy

Genres and Modes

Music (any)
- Classical Music
  - Cantata
  - Chamber music
  - Musical Theatre
  - Opera
  - Oratorio
  - Sonata

Activities

Primary

Composer

Resources

George Frideric Handel (originally Georg Friedrich Händel), middle-class son of a successful barber-surgeon, was born on 23^rd February, 1685, in Halle (in Saxony), less than one month before and eighty miles away from Johann Sebastian Bach. Remarkably, the two never met. Whereas Bach was to stay in his own country, Handel’s career was international, taking him to and from Germany, Italy and England before he finally settled in London. The scope and extent of his achievements are remarkable. He composed over forty Italian operas; over twenty English oratorios and dramas; numerous concertos; an enormous range of church music; over one hundred cantatas; a mass of orchestral and chamber music; and hundreds of sonatas and airs.…

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2995 words

Citation: Alsop, Derek . "George Frideric Handel". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 05 December 2011 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=1969, accessed 21 November 2024.]

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