George Frideric Handel

Born February 23, 1685 Halle, Saxony

Died April 14, 1759 London, England

About the composer:

Handel's father did not want his son to be a musician or play any instruments, so his mother smuggled a spinet (type of piano) up into the attic for him.  He smothered the strings with strips of cloth so his dad wouldn't hear him play it in the night.  He was an extraordinary musician from a very early age and once he started composing, wrote many pieces that are very well known, even now.  Eventually he moved from Germany to England, because he liked there a lot.  He lived there for 47 years until his death in 1759.

About the music:

Handel's Water Music (excerpts)

This is a suite of dances, airs, and fanfares, and was written for a royal water pageant down the Thames River.  The King rode in an open barge up the river toward Chelsea.  Many other barges with people went along too.  One of the barges had fifty instrumentalists of all sorts, who played music all along the way.  The King loved it so much that he had the barges go up and down the river three times. 

Oratorio “Messiah” (excerpts)

Messiah is a form called an oratorio.  It is performed by a small orchestra of strings, oboes, bassoons, harpsichord, and trumpet.  There is a choir that sings many choruses and there are solo singers for some of the pieces.  One of the most famous movements from the work is the "Halleleujah Chorus" where everyone sings.  Everyone also stands up when this piece comes along in a concert.  When Handel finished the music, he said to his servant, " I think God has visited me".

Suggested activities

Locate the River Thames on a map of the city of London and trace the route that the King took.

Find out where Handel lived in London and visit the house online.