Preview

Short Biography: George F. Handel

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
663 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Short Biography: George F. Handel
George F. Handel

Brittany Shellem
March 11, 2013
Monday 6:00pm

Shellem 1

George F. Handel, a man born in the same time as Johann

Sebastian Bach, has been recognized as one of the most underrated

Baroque composers. Handel was born in the same time as Bach and only

50 miles away. This could largely be related to the reason why Handel is

so underrated. Handel spent a large part of his childhood sneaking away

and playing instruments behind his father 's back. With his mother 's

assistance, Handel learned how to play the organ and eventually won

his father 's consent to study music. Success in music as a child led him

to compose pieces and write operas.

In the early part of Handel 's life he spent time playing the organ

for the Calvinist Cathedral. After his stay with the Calvinist Cathedral,

Handel played violin and harpsichord for the only opera company in

Germany that existed outside the royal courts, and also taught private

lessons.

Having inspiration from playing in an opera, George Handel

wrote his first opera, Almira in 1704. Handel found great success in his

opera. The opera was performed twenty times in total until its place was

taken by Handel 's next opera, Nero. After his newly found success

Shellem 2

George Handel moved to Italy in 1706 where he gained a wealth of

knowledge on setting Italian lyrics to voice.

In 1710, Geoge Handel was appointed Kapellmeister at Hanover,

but soon took leave to London. Then, in 1719, he became musical

director of the Royal Academy of Music. Much of Handel 's time during

the 1720 's and 1730 's was spent composing operas. While in the midst

of his operas, Handel found the time to compose many other works.

During the last few years of the 1730 's, Handels operas were not as

successful. Facing his own mortality in the opera world, Handel

responded by focusing more on oratorio. Handel is best known for



Cited: Lang, Paul H. George Friderick Handel. New York: Courier Dover Publications, 1966. Print. Burrows, Donald. Master Musicians Handel. New York: Oxford UP, 1994. Print. Barber, David W., and David C. Donald. Getting a Handel on Messiah. Toronto: Sound and Vision, 1994. Print.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Glenn miller

    • 2056 Words
    • 9 Pages

    to fame. He worked hard to master a variety of instruments which brought him success but…

    • 2056 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Handel was a British Baroque composer, who spent much of his career in London. He was well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, and organ concertos. Within fifteen years of Handel’s career he started three commercial opera companies. One of Handel’s most famous works still to this day is, “Messiah.” Handel is one of the greatest Baroque composers and he is also remembered for “Water Music” and “Music for the Royal Fireworks.” One of his greatest accomplishments during his career is, composing over forty operas in thirty…

    • 1135 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    He played music his entire life and knew that is what he wanted to do as a child. He gave up his education for his career and that worked out very well for him. He was a part of one of the world’s most famous bands that will ever be, and created one of the most ground-breaking bands that the world has seen. He was a part of one the most influential music movements being punk/grunge music. He was involved in many historical moments in music history.…

    • 1580 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Leroy Anderson Essay

    • 475 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Leroy Anderson started music at a very young age, with his mother Anna, a church organist, teaching him piano “as soon as his feet could reach the petals.” By the age of twelve, Leroy had composed his first piece. By age eleven, Leroy was taking music lessons at The New England Conservatory of Music. His first composition was A Minuet for String Quarter and received a year’s scholarship to study harmony with his piano instructor, Floyd Dean.…

    • 475 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Other than his family life he had a an extreme devotion to his music career. He compiled around 1,128 different pieces of music. Considering He lived 65 years and did not start writing music until he was around 15, that means on average he would…

    • 1011 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    This is how he first discovered his inclination towards music. He started out by playing the baritone in the school band, and he was reasonably good. At age 15, he decided to switch over to the alto saxophone. Since his family could not really afford one, he borrowed a school sax. After a while of playing the school’s instrument he finally got his own, but not under the happiest of circumstances.…

    • 687 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    John Quincy Adams was born on July 11, 1767, in Braintree, Massachusetts. He is the oldest son of all the children that John Adams, the second United States President, and Abigail Adams had. He traveled to France with his father at the age of 10. He received training in the diplomatic corps and went to school when he was 14 years old. Adams accompanied diplomat Francis Dana to Russia, serving as his secretary and translator in the year of 1781. He then traveled to Paris as his father’s secretary, debating the Treaty of Paris in 1783. At the same time, he attended school in Europe and became really fluent with French, Dutch, and German. He returned home and entered Harvard College in 1785 and graduated in 1787.…

    • 379 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    George Frederic Handel was born on February 23rd 1685, and died April 14th 1759. He started as a German composer then moved to a British Baroque composer. He spend the bulk of his career in London. He became well known for operas, anthems, and organ concertos. He received critical training in Halle, Hamburg and Italy before settling in London. Handel's biggest influences included the composers of the Italian Baroque and the middle-German polyphonic choral tradition. Handel's father wanted Handel to grow up and study law. He was born into a non-musical family. His father strictly forbade him from meddling with any musical instruments. As a result, Handel secretly began playing instruments while his family was asleep. At a young age…

    • 286 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Music Test Review

    • 483 Words
    • 2 Pages

    1.) Instrumental music became as important as vocal music for the first time in what period?…

    • 483 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Artifacts Essay

    • 1468 Words
    • 6 Pages

    In “Rebel Music”, Daniel Felsenfeld delves into the inspirations he has drawn from music in his childhood. He tells of the struggles he experienced and the lack of inspiration from mandatory piano lessons from Ms. Shimizu. Although he dazzled her every time, he never felt connected to the music. Felsenfeld reminisced, “I was experiencing a personal drought, an acrid lack of culture of all kinds, especially music” (Felsenfeld 624). After he heard Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony while with a friend, he had an epiphany. He felt that in this moment, he heard music for the first time. From then on, he became obsessed and revolved his entire life around it. He then went on to become a composer despite his non-musical family background. Felsenfeld’s passion for music as a child encouraged him to be the person he is today, which is similar to the way gymnastics influenced my life. Gymnastics was a huge part of my life growing up, and I realize now that the sport allowed me to learn the valuable traits I use today. Being a gymnast taught me many things but especially how to be dedicated, how to be a team player and how to never give up.…

    • 1468 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    He suffered abuse from his father and neglect from his mother thereby becoming a man with little respect for authority. During his late childhood, Beethoven became withdrawn from abuse; his musical talent notwithstanding was forcibly cultured in order for his father to take advantage of his prodigy. As an adult and no longer under his father’s control, Beethoven determinately cultivated his own talents.…

    • 331 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    There are music schools, conservatories, and private teachers, all over the World to educate children and adults with music, either through an instrument or through theory or even history of music. There is a certain amount of technical exercises, pieces for musicians, or history facts for musical historians to learn to gain an acceptable level of knowledge. There is one common point within these three categories of studies: Johann Sebastian Bach.…

    • 1768 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Discuss the effect that political and economic factors had on the composition of Handel’s Judas Maccabaeus. ‘Judas Maccabaeus’ is an oratorio composed by George Friderick Handel and was written to be first performed in 1747. The piece was written in honor of the duke of Cumberland to acknowledge his success in the battle of Culloden during the Jacobite rebellion. The political links with the work had a clear influence on the final outcome of the piece, and this is shown through its story and the audiences responses after the release.…

    • 1697 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    George Frederick Handel

    • 977 Words
    • 4 Pages

    the urge to move on, and his instincts led him to Italy, the birthplace of…

    • 977 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Musical Autobiography.

    • 688 Words
    • 2 Pages

    I believe it is my mother who initiated my love for music. As a child I remember my mother would sing while doing the dishes, cleaning and even driving; she blames herself for my annoying habit of needing music for any activity to this day. My parents tried to get me more involved in music by putting me in a music summer program. Believe it or not, I didn't enjoy it because I didn't want to learn how to play an instrument. Instead, I just wanted to listen to the music being played. I discovered that I am more of a critic than anything else when I listen to music.…

    • 688 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays