Georg Friedrich Handel

Georg Friedrich Handel was a German-born English musician (1685-1759). He is known as one of the leading musicians of the late Baroque period. While Bach is called the father of music, Handel is called the mother of music. He produced masterpieces in Italian opera and oratorio. In this article, his characteristics and episodes as a musician are also introduced, and his masterpiece “Messiah” is explained.

Table of contents

Handel’s Life
Recommended References

Handel’s Life

　Handel was born in Halle, Germany, into a family of doctors. He developed his musical talent early on as an organist. However, in 1702, at the request of his father, he decided to study law at the University of Halle. At the same time, he continued to play the organ. It was during this period that he came into contact with Telemann, who became a prominent German musician.

　The Hamburg Period

　From 1703-6, Handel worked as a harpsichordist in Hamburg. The harpsichord was the principal keyboard instrument of this period. The harpsichord was the predominant instrument of this period, as the piano was still not as good as it was during this period. Handel became familiar with the harpsichord and composed on it during his formative years as a musician. As a performer, Handel was known from his youth as an extraordinary virtuoso on the keyboard instrument.
　His Suite in C major (HWV 443) and Partita in D major (HWV 450) are considered to be Handel’s earliest surviving keyboard compositions.
　During this period, Handel took on many pupils. However, most of his pupils were aristocratic women and not aspiring professionals. Handel disliked this job as a pedagogue. Therefore, he did not return to this work after his time in Hamburg.

　Episodes from this period

　There are some unusual episodes from this period. Handel was to be replaced by a colleague as accompanist on the keyboard during a performance of the opera “Cleopatra. However, the colleague refused to take over.

　This led to an argument between the two, which finally resulted in a duel. Fortunately, no serious damage was done. Therefore, Handel was not punished and was able to continue his career as a musician.
　In his old age, this colleague praised Handel’s outstanding performance skills during this period.

　Study in Italy

　In 1706, Handel began traveling in Italy. He composed and performed in Rome and Venice with great success. During this period, he interacted with Scarlatti. He absorbed Italian opera.

Episodes from this period: Competing with Scarlatti

　The following anecdote is about this period. Handel was invited to a concert by the Pope. Handel began to play the harpsichord with his hat under his arm. He was so good that everyone in the audience was astonished.

　The audience was so amazed that they wondered why Handel played so well. They whispered that it was because Handel was holding his hat under his arm. Hearing their doubts, Handel dropped his hat and began to play even better than before.

　There are other anecdotes about Handel’s competition with Scarlatti. A competition was held under the auspices of the Cardinal. Scarlatti and Handel participated. Scarlatti was declared the harpsichord winner and Handel the organ winner.
　The differences between their playing styles were as follows. Scarlatti was characterized by a certain elegance and delicacy of expression. Handel’s was characterized by exceptional finger brilliance and command, remarkable fullness, power, and energy.

　Hanover

　In 1710, Handel returned to Germany. He was appointed as court music director in Hanover. Note that his new patron, the Elector of Hanover, would later become King George I of England.
　During this period, Handel also made a name for himself as a composer and performer. For example, Sophia, the mother of the Elector of Hanover, commented on Handel in a letter: “Handel was a great composer and performer. In harpsichord playing and composition, Handel surpasses all those who have ever heard him.

　England

　In 1711, Handel went to England. There, too, he quickly achieved great success with operas such as “Rinaldo. He was granted a pension by Queen Anne of England. 1714 saw the death of Queen Anne and the accession of the above-mentioned George I as King of England. For George, Handel produced “Music on the Water.

　In 1719, the Royal Academy of Music was founded. In 1723, Handel became the composer to the Royal Chapel, and his fame grew in England.

　In 1727, Handel became a British citizen. That same year, George I died and George II ascended the throne. Handel produced the “Coronation Anthem” for George II, which was well received.

　His operas gradually lost popularity in England. He shifted his emphasis to oratorios. He was not immediately successful. However, he achieved great success with his masterpiece “Messiah” in 1741. He continued to work on oratorios.

　Late Years

　Around this time, the War of the Austrian Succession began in 1740 on the European continent. This war started when Maria Theresa tried to take over the Habsburgs’ territories in the Holy Roman Empire and Austria. Great Britain also participated in this war.

　The war ended in 1748. England celebrated its victory in the war. On that occasion, Handel composed “The Music of the Royal Fireworks”.

　In 1753, Handel lost his sight. However, he continued to perform and compose.

　Throughout his life, Handel was highly regarded for his improvisations. The reputation of his performances in his later years is reported as follows. His playing was slow and solemn, his harmonies were tightly worked out and as full as he could express himself.

　Or, as it is said, “Handel’s hands were very thick. Handel’s hands were so thick that the knuckles of his fingers, which normally appear convex, were hollow and concave like a child’s fingers. His touch was very smooth, and he had a great respect for the tone of the instrument, and his fingers extended as if they were sucking on the keys.

　He died in London in 1759.

The Messiah

　Let us take a closer look at Handel’s masterpiece, “Messiah. Handel’s “Messiah” is an oratorio about the Messiah, or Christ the Redeemer. Its content is based on the Old and New Testaments.

Handel and the Bible

　It is known that Handel himself was reasonably familiar with the Bible. As part of his background, Handel was raised in the German Lutheran tradition. Lutheranism emphasized the study of the Bible.

　Handel likely attended the Gymnasium in Halle, where he studied both biblical and classical texts. At the time, Halle was a major center of Lutheran pietism. This empiricism was adamantly opposed to music moving away from the Bible.

　Handel studied under the organist of the Lutheran church in Halle. In doing so, he would have been influenced by pietism. The main concern of empiricism was to work on the emotions in the experience of faith and the Bible.

　Pietists emphasized the need for a sense of being born again and the need to nurture the inner life of the individual. Both were intended to bring about real change in the world. Handel seeks to cause such change through music.

Contents of “Messiah”

　In a single oratorio, “Messiah” traces the path from the time of the Old Testament prophets, through the New Testament incarnation, passion, and resurrection of Christ, to the triumph of the Church, the redemption of mankind, and the end of the world. While covering such a wide swath of time, it encompasses our own position as the audience. This stance is characteristic.

　A libretto was produced for the London premiere of Messiah in 1743. Its distinguishing feature is the division of the text into scenes. These scenes often correspond to musical scenes. Through these scenes, the content of the text will be more concretely understood.

Part 1
1.1: Prophecy of Salvation (Isa. 40:1–5), ‘Comfort ye’ to ‘And the glory of the Lord
1.2: Prophecy of Jesus’ coming and his cataclysmic purifying e ect of the earth (Hag. 2:6–7 and Mal. 3:1–3), ‘Thus saith the Lord’ to ‘And He shall purify’
1.3: Prophecy of Jesus’ birth by a virgin, the move from darkness to light and the coming of the Prince of Peace (extracts from Isa. 7:14, 40:9, 60:1–3, 9:2, 9:6, Isa. 7:14 being duplicated by Matt. 1:23), ‘Behold, a Virgin shall conceive’ to ‘For unto us a Child is born’
1.4: Angels bring the good tidings to the shepherds (Luke 2:8–11, 13–14), ‘There were Shepherds abiding in the Field’ to ‘Glory to God in the Highest’
1.5: Jesus’ e ect on earth in miracles and the comfort of redemption (Zech. 9:9–10, 35:5–6; Isa. 40:11; Matt. 11:28–30)
Part 2
2.1: Redemptive power of Jesus’ sacri ce, the indignities he su ers at the hand of sinful mankind (John 1:29; Isa. 53:3, 50:6, 53:4–6; Ps. 22:7–8; 69:21; Lam. 1:12), ‘Behold the Lamb of God’ to ‘Behold, and see, if there be any Sorrow’
2.2: Jesus’ descent into hell and resurrection (Isa. 53:8; Ps. 16:10), ‘He was cut o out of the Land of the Living’ to ‘But Thou didst not leave his Soul in Hell’
2.3: Jesus’ ascension and entry in to heaven (Ps. 24:7–10), ‘Lift up your heads, O ye Gates’
2.4: God discloses Jesus’ identity to the angels (Heb. 1:5–6), ‘Unto which of the Angels said he at any time’ and ‘Let all the Angels of God worship Him’
2.5: The gifts of Pentecost and the spreading of the word (Ps. 68:18, 11; Rom. 10:15, 18), ‘Thou art gone up on High’ to ‘Their Sound is gone out into all Lands
2.6: The rejection of the Gospel by the world and its corrupt rulers (Ps. 2:1–3), ‘Why do the Nations so furiously rage together?’ and ‘Let us break their Bonds asunder’
2.7: God’s triumph over the ungodly (Ps. 2:4, 9; Rev. 19:6, 11:15, 19:16), ‘He that dwelleth in Heaven shall laugh them to scorn’ to ‘Hallelujah! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth’.
Part 3
3.1: The knowledge of the bodily resurrection and the redemption of Adam’s fall in Christ (Job 19:25–6; 1 Cor. 15:20–2), ‘I know that my Redeemer liveth’ and ‘Since by Man came Death, by Man came also the Resurrection of the Dead’
3.2: The day of judgement and the resurrection of all (1 Cor. 15:51–4), ‘Behold, I tell you a Mystery’ and ‘The Trumpet shall sound’　
3.3: Victory over death and sin (1 Cor. 15:54–7; Rom. 8:31, 33–4), ‘Then shall be brought to pass the Saying that is written’ to ‘If God be for us, who can be against us’
3.4: Glori cation of Jesus as victim and Messiah, sitting on the throne of heaven (Rev. 5:12–14), ‘Worthy is the Lamb’

The Aim and Role of The Messiah

　The Messiah was intended to convince the audience of the divinity of Christ and His greatness through the resonance of text and music. Each text utilized is fragmentary and sporadic. There are gaps between texts. The music skillfully stitched those gaps together. As a result, the audience experiences the great story of Christ in the performance.
　Words are often used, as in theology and preaching, to make us believe in Christ as God. Handel, on the other hand, tries to persuade with his own music. The very function of music is rhetoric. It is the role of music here to make the intellectually questionable persuasive.

　Handel’s reputation

　As early as the late 18th century, Handel was seen as a composer of the highest piety and noblest sentiments because of his “Messiah” and other works. This view was reinforced by the revitalization of various religions in the 19th century. In addition to “Messiah,” Handel also produced moving music based on religious texts.
　One of the characteristics of these non-religious musicians has been their focus on their aspect as music entertainers. Handel accurately identified the needs of the music market of his time and succeeded as a music entrepreneur. His special strength has been described as his ability to capture character and atmosphere as well as convey drama in musical terms.