Handel, George Friedrich

(1685–1759)

   Composer.

   Handel was born and educated in Saxony, Germany. After some years in France, he settled in England in 1710 and eventually became a naturalised British citizen. A prolific composer of many sorts of music, he was much admired by Haydn, mozart and Beethoven. Among Church people, he is mainly remembered for his choral anthems and for his religious oratorios such as the ‘Messiah’, ‘Samson’ and ‘Judas Maccabaeus’. The ‘Messiah’ in particular is frequently performed by amateur as well as professional groups and for many English people is an essential Christmas event.

   D. Burrows, Handel (1994);

   W. Dean, Handel’s Dramatic Oratorios and Masques (1959);

   R.M. Myers, Handel’s Messiah: A Touchstone of Taste (1948).