Composer G. Handel is one of the outstanding people of the Enlightenment. It was thanks to him that genres such as opera and oratorio appeared in music. We can say that this man was a musical seer, because he anticipated the appearance of opera drama and civil pathos, ideas inherent in Gluck and Beethoven. Composer Handel was an extremely interesting and stubborn person.
Nationality
It so happened that two countries can immediately claim the title of the homeland of Handel. In fact of birth and blood affiliation, he is German. Born and raised in Germany, there he began his career. But England appeared in his life suddenly and stayed there forever. It was there that his view of music was formed, new genres and trends appeared. England became the place where the composer Handel took place, where he became famous and popular.
Childhood and youth
The future composer in Halle was born in the family of a doctor. The boy's early musical abilities began to manifest , and his father gave him to study to be the best musician in the city. The mentor was able to instill in Handel a good musical taste, achieve a clean technique of performance and introduced all the musical styles and genres of that time. Composer Handel, whose biography is somewhat similar to the history of Mozart's life, by the age of 11 he was an excellent writer and performer, known throughout Germany.
Fulfilling the last will of his father, Handel learned to become a lawyer at the university, but did not give up his music classes. Constantly honing his mastery of the game, he leaves for Hamburg in search of inspiration. The opera house (one of the first in the country) attracts a musician. Handel, a composer of operas, worked there as a violinist and harpsichord player. But even such an activity did not prevent him from taking the best of time spent in the theater. Unfortunately, the bankruptcy of the leader of the opera leads to its closure.
Travel time
Leaving Germany, the composer Handel moved to Italy, his plans include visiting Rome, Florence, Venice, Naples. There he again acquires knowledge, absorbs, like a sponge, the experience of the masters of the old school. He succeeds with such brilliance that in a few months his first Italian opera is released, which receives well-deserved recognition from the public. Soon after, private orders from wealthy and famous Italians began to arrive at the composer.
England
Having first appeared on the Foggy Island in 1710 at the invitation of friends, the composer Handel, whose work will be inextricably linked in this country, finally crosses the English Channel only by 1716. Ten years later, he accepted English citizenship. Here he was able to quickly conquer the audience with the mere manner of his playing, and the operas were a stunning success. The new, fresh wave brought by Handel, a composer from the continent, completely alien to the British in spirit, aroused bored listeners, and returned to them an interest in music.
British style features
Composing music in England, Handel goes far beyond the traditional Italian opera. His works are striking in the dramatic, depth, and brightness of the characters. This helped to raise the musical creativity of Misty Albion to a new level, to carry out such necessary reforms in the approach to writing works. The composer Handel, for some time, falls into disfavor of the public because of his overly outstanding abilities. Reforms are coming in England in all areas, the self-awareness of the people is growing, hence the negative attitude to everything foreign.
Even after disturbing events and disgrace, Handel’s authority in the bohemian environment has not diminished. The order of King George II helped to strengthen it even more. Without stopping attempts to revive the opera, the composer travels to Italy for new artists. But the long, exhausting and partly political struggle for a new genre ends in defeat. This undermines Handel’s health, and he spends almost 8 months in bed. After writing two more operas, he finishes work on this genre in general.
Spiritual music
In 1738, two oratorios, later recognized as brilliant, were presented to the upper world. But the composer does not stop there, but continues to write church music. In a short space of time at the peak of inspiration and fame, Handel writes four more stunning oratorios one after another. However, the aristocracy is trying to "throw" it from the creative pedestal. And for some time they really succeed. The writer is severely depressed. But the impending war with Scotland is changing the mood in the country, and the British again elevate Handel among other composers. His works, written in honor of the victory of England, became the hymns of the new era and the final stage of a great career.
End of life
In 1751, blindness puts Handel back in a hospital bed. Unfortunately, it is already irreversible, and this makes the composer fall into despair. A few years ago, we are loved and respected by everyone, now he is left abroad alone with difficulties. But, despite this, he continues to stubbornly play his works in public. According to the wishes of the composer, after his death he was buried in Westminster.
All composers of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, especially Beethoven, were especially reverent to the creative genius of Handel. Even three centuries later, in our modern age, Handel’s strong and deep music resonates with listeners. It makes you take a fresh look at old stories, takes on a different meaning, more closely related to contemporaries. Every year in Germany and England there are holidays and festivals dedicated to this great composer. They attract a huge number of both professional musicians and tourists from all over the world. And this means that his work is not forgotten, it will glorify the memory of its creator for many more years, perhaps even centuries. And the spirit of Handel will invisibly and incorporeally support the creators of operas and oratorios, like a guardian angel.