Georg Friedrich Händel

Born on 23 February 1685 in Halle an der Saale and died on 14 April 1759 in London; Georg Friedrich Händel was a German-British composer of the Baroque. He received his training from Friedrich Wilhelm Zachow, the organist of the Marktkirche in Halle; in 1702 he began studies at the Universität Halle and was organist at the cathedral for a year. In 1703 he went to Hamburg, where his first operas were written, and from 1706 to 1710 he stayed in Italy. In 1710 he became kapellmeister in Hanover; after the first performance of his opera “Rinaldo” in London in 1711 he settled there permanently in 1712. He was musical director of the Royal Academy of Music, became composer of the Chapel Royal in 1723 and a British citizen in 1727; from about 1741 he concentrated on English-language oratorios. His works include Italian operas, oratorios such as the “Messiah”, anthems as well as the “Wassermusik” and the “Feuerwerksmusik”. At Cybele Records he is represented as a composer on the albums German Music of the 18th Century (1998) and Gert Jonke: Der Kopf des Georg Friedrich Händel (2009).