Reading Comprehension · Composer Biography
George Frideric Handel
A reading lesson about George Frideric Handel — the Baroque composer who defied his father’s wishes to study music, became wealthy in London, and wrote the world’s most famous oratorio, Messiah.
Subject
Reading Comprehension
Grade Level
Grades 4–7
Format
Lesson + Printable PDF
Access
Full Member
From Forbidden Music to Royal Composer
George Frideric Handel is one of the most famous composers of the Baroque period of music. He was born in Halle, Germany on February 23, 1685. He loved music from a very young age — which was a problem, because his father hated it. Handel was not allowed to play musical instruments. His father insisted that he study to become a lawyer. Like many other people in Europe at the time, Handel’s father believed that musicians had weak character and that listening to music could make people lose self-control. Some even believed God disapproved of music.
Luckily, Handel did not pay much attention to those negative ideas. He learned very quickly — and somehow taught himself to play the clavichord (a small piano-like instrument) and the organ. According to one popular story, his mother hid a clavichord in the family’s attic so young George could practice in secret. Eventually, a duke overheard the eight-year-old playing the organ and convinced his father to allow music lessons. By age 11, Handel had mastered composition, harmony, and counterpoint. He could play the clavichord, organ, harpsichord, and violin.
Handel honored his father’s wishes and studied law until he was eighteen. In the end, though, he chose music — and his music made him very wealthy. He moved to Hamburg, Germany to develop his skills, then traveled to Italy, where he composed operas in the dramatic Italian style. Eventually he settled in London, England, where he became Director of the Royal Academy of Music and earned the favor of the British royal family.
Messiah and Handel’s Legacy
After his time producing operas, Handel made the English oratorio popular. An oratorio is a kind of opera but without the acting. A chorus of singers tells a story without costumes or scenery — something like the difference between reading a story and watching a movie. The story told in an oratorio is usually taken from the Bible. The most famous oratorio is probably Handel’s own composition, Messiah, the Christian story of the coming, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The “Hallelujah Chorus” from Messiah is one of the most recognizable pieces of music ever written.
In London, Handel was known as the “great bear.” He was a big, quick-tempered man with a gruff personality. He ate and drank a great deal — probably too much. But he also had a great sense of humor, and people enjoyed listening to his stories. His music is filled with emotion: joy, sadness, fear, and excitement all come through in his compositions, just as those feelings did in the man himself. Handel never married and had no children.
Handel was a generous man who shared much of his wealth with charities, and he encouraged others to support good causes as well. He gave many gifts to friends, relatives, and his servants. Though Handel was completely blind by the age of 65, he could still play the organ and compose music from memory. He died in London on April 14, 1759 at the age of 74. His music has remained popular for nearly three hundred years and is still performed by orchestras and choirs around the world today.
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