George Frideric Handel was born in Halle in 1685 and studied law there whilst at the same time developing his musical talents. He became Kapellmeister to the Elector of Hanover in 1710, but he took leave of absence to visit London, where his operas and oratorios were very successful. He settled in London in 1712, deserting his post in Hanover. A popular composer and much travelled man of the world, Handel enjoyed great success with his operas until financial problems, rivalry with Bononcini and political intrigue conspired to turn him away from stage productions. From the 1730s he concentrated on oratorios, Messiah being performed in Dublin in 1742. Handel died in 1759, having spent the last years of his life blind and in poor health.

Handel’s oratorios are still performed in churches and concert halls in Britain and elsewhere and so are the operas, though these are more often given concert than stage performances.