Why Did George Frideric Handel Study Music?

The Baroque era composer, George Frideric Handel, was born in Halle, Saxon, Germany to parents, George and Dorothea Handel, on February 23rd, 1685. Handel wanted to study music since he was a young boy. Alas, he faced opposition from his father, who thought that pursuing a music career would not be a realistic or highly esteemed occupation. His father wouldn't even let him own a musical instrument. However, secretly encouraged by his mother to pursue his passion, Handel would sneak up to his family’s attic to play the clavichord. Not one to despise small beginnings, Handel began to blossom as a musician. Handel’s first known opportunity to perform outside of his musky attic was at the Duke’s Court of Weissenfels, where he was invited to play the organ. It was at this event that he met composer and organist, Frideric Wilhelm Zachow. After watching Handel perform, Zachow reached out to him, offering to take him under his wing and mentor him as a musician. Handel accepted, eventually mastering the organ, violin, and oboe by the age of …show more content…
He was very successful with this debut, as it got a 20 performance run. In 1706, he decided to test the waters in Italy, going on a tour there, also meeting some major Italian musicians. While in Italy, Handel composed the opera Rodrigo (1707) and the opera Agrippina (1709). While he was staying in Venice, Handel met people that raved about London, England’s up and coming music scene. Taking their word for it, he decided to make another move, this time to London in 1710 to pursue his music career with a new audience. Soon after, the manager of King’s theatre asked Handel to write an opera to perform. Handel then wrote his opera Rinaldo in just two weeks. Rinaldo was released in the 1710/1711 opera season, and Handel’s career officially took off because of it. At this point, Handel finally gained enough recognition from the public eye to maintain a steady music