George Frideric Handel

George Handel
Born	George Frideric Handel (1685-02-23)February 23, 1685 Halle (Saale), Germany
Died	April 14, 1759(1759-04-14) (aged 74) London, United Kingdom
Burial place	Westminster Abbey
Nationality	English
Occupation	Composer
Notable work	Messiah

George Frideric Handel (German: Georg Friedrich Händel) (23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was an German composer who went to live in England when he was a young man and later became a naturalised Briton.^[1] Johann Sebastian Bach and Handel were born in the same year. They were the greatest composers of their time, but they never met. Handel changed his name to George Frideric Handel when he became British; he removed the dots above the "a" and changed the spelling of Georg and Friedrich. The German spelling of his name (Georg Friedrich Händel) is still used by German writers.

Although they both lived in the late Baroque period, Bach and Handel’s music developed differently. Handel wrote many operas and oratorios and by them became very famous. He took many trips, including to Italy where he learned a lot about composition. Bach never left central Germany, and most of the time he was a church musician who was not well known by the general public.

Handel wrote over 42 operas. Later he wrote oratorios. His most famous oratorio is the Messiah. He wrote anthems, chamber music and orchestral music including the Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks.

1. ↑ The House of Lords. "British Citizen by Act of Parliament: George Frideric Handel". Archived from the original on 2012-05-27. Retrieved 2007-08-29.