George Frideric Handel

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George Frideric Handel, a monumental German composer of the Classical era

George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) was a famous German composer who spent much of his life in England. He wrote operas and oratorios (including the oratorio, the Messiah). He also wrote the well-known Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks.

Handel wrote his musical works very quickly. For example, he wrote the Messiah in just 21 days. As a result, he left a huge body of work for us to enjoy.

Handel's music often shows deep psychological subtlety and the expression of the widest range of human feeling.

Hallelujah Chorus (from Handel's Messiah)

This is the famous Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah presented at the Trinity Church, New York.
Trinity Church Hallelujah Chorus 2006
by DowntownerAl | video info

242 ratings | 160,259 views
curated content from YouTube

Handel - Messiah - Hallelujah Chorus

Handel - Messiah - Hallelujah Chorus
by killerecho | video info

7,121 ratings | 2,364,480 views
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Handel - Messiah - For unto us a child is born

Handel: Messiah, For unto us a child is born (Sir Colin Davis, Tenebrae, LSO)
by Lso | video info

2,061 ratings | 968,127 views
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Handel: Messiah (Cambridge Music Handbooks)

Handel: Messiah (Cambridge Music Handbooks)

Amazon Price: $24.00 (as of 05/31/2012)Buy Now

A clear, compact guide to the choral masterpiece

These Cambridge Music Handbooks are geared for specific background and analysis on specific musical works. I own another Cambridge book about
Haydn's Creation, which is also very good.

Burrows begins with historical background of the Messiah, recounts the initial performances in Dublin, and then covers the revisions and revivals in London. Other chapters cover later versions of Messiah (e.g. Mozart's orchestration), a short analysis of the overall design of the work, short comments on individual movements of interest, and Handel's word-setting. There are also two appendices and a wonderful bibliography.

Although brief and concise, the work is quite scholarly, containing many citations. It is clear that Burrows knows his stuff regarding Handel and Messiah.

My only disappointment with the book (and subsequent reason for four stars) is that many of Burrows' good points are buried within his scholarly prose and these gems are easy to overlook. Despite this, I would recommend this book to anybody involved in a performance of Handel's Messiah, and it is a must for any conductor. It provides a great deal of necessary background information in a concise manner, and is a great resource for program notes.

The Jupiter of Music

"Handel was the Jupiter of music;... his hallelujahs open the heavens. He utters the word 'Wonderful', as if all their trumpets spoke together. And then, when he comes to earth, to make love admidst nymphs and shepherds (for the beauties of all religions find room within his breast), his strains drip milk and honey, and his love is the youthfulness of the Golden Age."

-- Leigh Hunt, 1851

Handel (by Christopher Hogwood)

Handel, Revised Edition

Amazon Price: $13.80 (as of 06/01/2012)Buy Now

George Friedrich Handel remains one of the unchallenged geniuses of musical history. Yet many revealing and fascinating aspects of his work have been obscured by generations of adulation, prejudice, or misinterpretation. Christopher Hogwood takes us back to the original Handel, blending the evidence from documents of all kinds with judicious biographical observations as well as a delightful selection of illustrations.

The result is a comprehensive and entertaining portrait of the developing character and career of Handel, with an important concluding chapter that traces the progress of the Handel legend down to our own time, and a chronological table compiled by Anthony Hicks that outlines major events in the composer's life and musical career. 100 illustrations, 10 in color.

Handel in 1733 (painting: Balthasar Denner) 

Handel Music on CD

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Water Music (by Handel)

Handel: Water Music (Opus Arte)
by opusarte | video info

87 ratings | 121,577 views
curated content from YouTube

Handel: Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks (Cambridge Music Handbooks)

Handel: Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks (Cambridge Music Handbooks)

Amazon Price: $67.78 (as of 06/01/2012)Buy Now

'Hogwood is a reliable and well-informed guide to this repertory. ...It is a fascinating document.' - Early Music

Program Notes on Famous Handel Works

Israel in Egypt (Handel)
"Israel in Egypt," the fifth of the nineteen oratorios which Handel composed in England, was written in 1738, the composition of the whole colossal work occupying but twenty-seven days...

CLICK ON ABOVE LINK TO READ FULL NOTES ON THIS WORK
Saul (Handel)
The oratorio of "Saul" was written by Handel in 1738. The story closely follows the Biblical narrative of the relations between David and Saul. The overture is the longest of all the Handel introductions...

CLICK ON ABOVE LINK TO READ FULL NOTES ON THIS WORK
Samson (Handel)
The oratorio of "Samson" was written in 1741. The last chorus was dated October 29; but in the following year Handel added to it "Let the bright Seraphim" and the chorus, "Let their celestial Concerts." The oratorio was first sung at Covent Garden, February 18, 1743...

CLICK ON ABOVE LINK TO READ FULL NOTES ON THIS WORK
The Messiah (Handel)
"The Messiah" represents the ripened product of Handel's genius, and reflects the noblest aspirations and most exalted devotion of mankind. Among all his oratorios it retains its original freshness, vigor, and beauty in the highest degree, in that it appeals to the loftiest sentiment and to universal religious devotion, and is based upon the most harmonious, symmetrical, and enduring forms of the art...

CLICK ON ABOVE LINK TO READ FULL NOTES ON THIS WORK

Music for the Royal Fireworks (by Handel) (Part 1)

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Musical Effect

"Handel understands effect better than any of us -- when he chooses, he strikes like a thunderbolt."

-- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Music for the Royal Fireworks (by Handel) (Part 2)

Handel: Music for the Royal Fireworks 2/2
by carminum | video info

262 ratings | 150,445 views
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Handel on the Web

Classical Music Archives: Handel
Over 600 Handel works offered in the MIDI, MP3, and Windows Media audio formats (including the complete Messiah).
The Handel House Museum
The London house where Handel lived for 36 years has been now restored and turned into an interesting museum. This site gives details.
George Frideric Handel
Life and works of Handel (article by Francis Hueffer, Ph.D., formerly musical critic of The Times; author of The Troubadours: a History of Provençal Life and Literature in the Middle Ages and Richard Wagner and the Music of the Future; editor of Great Musicians).

George Frideric Handel - The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba

George Frideric Handel - The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba
by schmobot | video info

3,818 ratings | 2,271,271 views
curated content from YouTube

Handel's Handwriting (Manuscript of his Tolomeo) 

Latest News on George Frideric Handel

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George Frideric Handel on 1959 German Postage Stamp 

G. F. Handel - Sarabande

G. F. Handel Sarabande
by gxgfree4rhyme | video info

1,950 ratings | 931,877 views
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  • Comfortdoc Jan 3, 2012 @ 2:00 am | delete
    Thank you for adding the Handel's Hallelujah Chorus Flash Mob to your wonderful lens on Handel.
  • fugeecat Nov 5, 2011 @ 4:44 pm | delete
    His music is wonderful!
  • ZestCareerCoaching Aug 12, 2011 @ 12:06 pm | delete
    Handel's Dixit Dominus is my fav piece of music ever, and I love a lot of the rest of his work as well. Lots of wonderful resources here, thanks.
  • Brick_House_Fabrics Jan 1, 2011 @ 2:12 pm | delete
    I love the watermusic!
  • classicalgeek Dec 3, 2010 @ 10:18 pm | delete
    I'm an early music geek, and I love all Baroque music, but I especially love to sing Handel. One doesn't need actual fireworks -- the vocal fireworks are everywhere!
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