George Frideric Handel

German-born, Italian-trained, London-crowned master of opera and the English oratorio.

Core Principles & Analysis

• He composed Messiah in about three and a half weeks in 1741.
• Water Music (1717) serenaded George I’s royal barge on the Thames.
• Born the same year as Bach, a few dozen miles away — the two never met.

Specifications & Metrics

• ERA: 1685 – 1759