Skip to content
    skip to navigation

    Classic FM

    Listen

    On Air Now

    Saturday Night at the Movies with Jonathan Ross 7pm - 9pm

    Saturday Night at the Movies with Jonathan Ross

    Now Playing

    The Grand Budapest Hotel - Mr Moustafa Alexandre Desplat Download 'The Grand Budapest Hotel - Mr Moustafa' on iTunes

    The Grand Budapest Hotel - Mr Moustafa artwork
    • Playlist
    • Schedule
    • Home
    • Radio
    • News
    • Discover Music
    • Composers
    • Artists
    • Lifestyle
    • Win
    • Charity
    • Podcasts
    • Events
    • Dating
    • Follow us on:
      Follow Classic FM on Twitter
      Follow Classic FM on Facebook
      Follow Classic FM on Instagram
      Follow Classic FM on Youtube

    Composers

    Handel

    • Handel Home
    • Music
    • News
    • Album reviews
    • Guides
    • Pictures
    • More Composers

    Handel: 15 facts about the great composer

    George Frideric Handel, one of the Baroque era's greatest composers, led a passionate, eventful and occasionally tragic life - but how much do you really know?

    1. halle germany

      1. When and where was Handel born?

      George Frideric Handel was born on the 23rd of February 1685, the same year as Bach, in Halle. Germany.

    2. clavichord

      2. Played the clavichord in secret

      Handel's lawyer father was not a huge fan of his son's musical ambitions. In fact, when he was a boy, Handel had to sneak to the attic to play a clavichord that had been hidden up there.

    3. sword

      3. Duel with Mattheson

      A bizarre incident in 1704 might have seen Handel's composing career cut tragically short after a set-to with fellow composer Johann Mattheson. For reasons apparently unknown, the two had a fierce quarrel in which Mattheson almost killed Handel with his sword, which fortunately struck a button on Handel's chest rather than the chest itself.

    4. london skyline

      4. London calling

      Handel was a hit in London, as evidenced by the very generous salary of £200 he received from Queen Anne when he moved there in 1712.

    5. royal academy of music

      5. Musical director of RAM

      Handel's successes in London continued, and he was eventually made the musical director of The Royal Academy of Music.

    6. handel rinaldo

      6. Rinaldo - his first London success

      in 1711 the London stage was treated to its first ever opera composed specifically for it. The premiere performance of Handel's Rinaldo took place at the Queen's Theatre in Haymarket.

    7. George Frederick Handel

      7. Acis and Galatea

      His first work in the English language might not be his most well-known, but during his lifetime it was Handel's most popular work by some distance. It even received the honour of a little re-write by none other than Mozart in 1788. Well, if someone has to tinker with it, it may as well be Mozart…

    8. Handel's Blue Plaque in 25 Brook Street, London

      8. Where did Handel live in London?

      Even though he was German-born and educated, the Brits like to claim Handel for their own. He was fond of his home in 25 Brook Street, London, and Londoners were equally fond of him, as evidenced by...

    9. Handel House Museum © The Handel House Trust Ltd

      9. Handel House Museum

      Slap-bang in the middle of Mayfair is a permanent monument to Handel's life and music - his house. It has been lovingly restored to look exactly how Handel would've kept when he lived there from 1723 until his death in 1759. (© The Handel House Trust Ltd)

    10. opera house

      10. Diva strops at the opera

      Handel was such a popular opera composer that he was allowed to pick his own leading ladies. However, this perk led to an almighty bust-up between sopranos Faustina Bordoni and Francesca Cuzzoni, two rival singers of the day, who ended up having a scrap on stage during a performance of Bononcini's Astianatte. They both had to be dragged off stage to stop them pulling bits off each other's costumes.

    11. george frideric handel

      11. Health problems

      Some of Handel's biggest and best works were composed in the latter stages of his life. That might not sound too impressive, but then again he did suffer from a stroke in 1737, was involved in a coach crash in 1750 and had cataracts and eventually went blind after a botched eye operation 1751.

    12. George II

      12. Standing to attention

      During the first London performance of Handel's Messiah, King George II stood up as soon as the Hallelujah chorus kicked in - after that, it became traditional for audiences to stand for this famous chorus.

    13. george frideric handel

      13. His final oratorio

      Handel's final oratorio, Jephtha, was a heartbreaking experience for the composer. He was going rapidly blind as he wrote it, eventually leading him to write on the score: "Reached here on 13 February 1751, unable to go on owing to weakening of the sight of my left eye."

    14. handel grave

      14. 3,000 people attend his funeral

      When, after a life of tumult and incredible music, Handel succumbed to his afflictions in 1759, his funeral was attended by 3,000 people and was a huge state affair.

    15. Ludwig Van Beethoven drawing

      15. Beethoven's tribute to Handel

      Praise doesn't come much higher than from Ludwig Van Beethoven, who said of Handel's works: "Go to him to learn how to achieve great effects, by such simple means."

    Handel News

    See more Handel News

    Mezzo Daniela Mack Handel runs

    Mezzo sings a gigantic 72-note Handel phrase **in one breath**

     Handel shred

    This Handel shred is the most majestic piece of classical humour

    Monks Hallelujah Chorus

    We can’t stop watching these hilarious ‘silent monks’ singing the Hallelujah Chorus

    Handel Music

    See more Handel Music

    Forte Handbell Quartet

    A completely mad handbell arrangement of The Hallelujah Chorus

    Tilda Swinton has directed a Baroque music video starring her DOGS

    Tilda Swinton has directed a Baroque music video starring her DOGS

    Videos

    Handel's Messiah at the Bristol Proms

    Handel's Messiah at the Bristol Proms

    Handel Pictures

    See more Handel Pictures

    classical music on stamps

    The most beautiful classical music postage stamps

    Discover Music

    Handel's Messiah at the Bristol Proms

    Handel's Messiah at the Bristol Proms

    Handel Album Reviews

    See more Handel Album Reviews

    New releases 13th Feb

    New Releases: LSO plays Mendelssohn and the latest album from Riccardo Chailly

    Discover Music

    Albums 21 October

    Album Reviews and New Releases: Alexis Ffrench, Rach, Bach and Romeo

    Discover Music

    Album reviews - Barenboim, Handel and Mehta

    Album reviews and new releases: mighty Barenboim conquers Elgar

    Discover Music

    Handel Guides

    See more Handel Guides

    Brook Street Band

    We asked one of the best period instrument groups in the world to give us an in-depth Baroque masterclass

    George Frideric Handel

    Handel’s best music: 10 of the Baroque composer’s greatest works

    Handel House Brook Street

    Inside Handel and Hendrix in London

    Back to top

    Also on Classic FM

    • Listen to Global Player
    • Alexander Armstrong on Classic FM
    • Google Doodle
    • Quizzes
    • Mozart
    • Debussy
    • Music theory
    • Instruments
    • Classic FM Live
    • Brahms
    • Vivaldi
    • Bach
    • LBC News
    • Tchaikovsky
    • Chopin
    • Andrea Bocelli
    • Florence Price
    • Beethoven
    • Best classical music
    • Classic FM Requests
    • Best pianists
    • Harry Potter music
    • Saturday Night at the Movies
    • Star Wars soundtrack
    • Composer or pasta
    • Music for Studying
    • Best violinists
    • Classical music tearjerkers
    • Relaxing classical

    Useful Links

    • Contact Us
    • Help
    • How To Listen
    • About Classic FM
    • Company Details
    • Cookies
    • Privacy
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Advertise
    • Global Jobs

    Download the app

    Get it on the app store Get it on Google Play

    Follow Us

    Follow Classic FM on Twitter
    Follow Classic FM on Facebook
    Follow Classic FM on Instagram
    Follow Classic FM on Youtube
    © Global 2023
    30 Leicester Square, London, WC2H 7LA
    Privacy Manager