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On April 20, 1759 George Frideric Handel was buried in Westminster Abbey, London. From the article:
"George Frederic Handel | Westminster Abbey
George Frederic Handel, the famous composer, is buried in the south transept of Westminster Abbey. He was born at Halle in Saxony in 1685, son of Georg and Dorothea, and died in London in 1759. He worked first at the opera house in Hamburg and spent several years in Italy before making his first visit to London in 1710. By 1717 he had settled permanently in England and in February 1727 was naturalized as an Englishman by Act of Parliament. Handel made his reputation as a composer of Italian opera for the London stage, but like most composers of the period, he wrote music for a wide range of occasions and patrons. Some of his earliest works setting English words - a birthday ode for the Queen and a Te Deum and Jubilate in celebration of the Treaty of Utrecht - were performed before Queen Anne in 1713. The accession of George I caused Handel some embarrassment, however, for he had previously been employed by the new king in Germany (where George was Elector of Hanover) and had broken his terms of employment by remaining in England. Fortunately, the new monarch forgave Handel this misdemeanour and the composer enjoyed much royal patronage for the remainder of his life.
The works that associate Handel most closely with Westminster Abbey are the four anthems written for the coronation of George II in 1727. The best known, 'Zadok the Priest', has been used at every coronation since then, but all four continue to be regularly performed and recorded. Handel also wrote an anthem, 'The ways of Zion do mourn', for the funeral of Queen Caroline (George II's consort) who was buried in the Abbey in December 1737. A less well-known link between Handel and the Abbey involves Esther, the composer's first oratorio, performed privately at the Crown and Anchor Tavern in the Strand in 1732 under the direction of Bernard Gates. Gates was Master of the Children of the Chapel Royal, but he was also a long-standing member of the Abbey's choir and had assembled a number of his Westminster colleagues to sing in the chorus.
Burial and dating on gravestone
Three days before his death in 1759 Handel signed a codicil to his will saying he hoped he might be buried in the Abbey and desired that his executor erect a monument for him.
The funeral was attended by about 3,000 people and the choirs of the Abbey, St Paul's Cathedral and the Chapel Royal sang the service. Mr Gordin was the Undertaker and George Amyand paid the fees for the service and lead lined coffin (£45 5s. 6d) while Roubiliac paid the £25 to erect the monument and 6 guineas to lay down a gravestone. His black marble gravestone in the south transept reads
GEORGE FREDERIC HANDEL BORN YE 23 FEBRUARY 1684 DIED YE 14 OF APRIL 1759.
The coat of arms on his gravestone is now very worn. A 19th century history of the Abbey records that it shows "a demi-man couped, his left arm a-kimbo, his right holding up a bottle" (ie. the top half of a man's figure with one arm bent at the elbow and the other holding a bottle). The crest above is the same arms shown between two elephant trunks. It is not known why he chose these particular emblems for his coat of arms!
The date of his birth inscribed on the stone is not a mistake but is due to the fact that the new year in England at this period did not begin on 1 January but on 25 March (Lady Day). Therefore, to the contemporary Englishman, Handel was born in February 1684, as the year 1685 would not have begun until 25 March.
Monument
On the wall above his grave is a fine monument by the sculptor Louis Francois Roubiliac (with the same inscription as on the stone but with the dates in Roman numerals). The life-size statue, unveiled in 1762, is said to be an exact likeness as the face was modelled from a death mask. Behind the figure, among clouds, is an organ with an angel playing a harp. On the left of the statue is a group of musical instruments and an open score of his most well-known oratorio Messiah, composed in 1741. Directly in front of him is the musical score I know that my Redeemer liveth. The index finger of his left hand had been missing for a long time and a new one has recently been sculpted to replace it.
Handel Festival
Above the monument a small additional tablet records the Handel festival or 'Commemoration' of 1784. This series of concerts of Handel's music was given in the Abbey by vast numbers of singers and instrumentalists and established a fashion for large-scale performances of Handel's choral works throughout the nineteenth century and much of the twentieth. The inscription reads:
Within these sacred walls the memory of HANDEL was celebrated under the patronage and in the presence of his most Gracious Majesty GEORGE the III on the XXVI, and XXIX of May and on the III and V of June MDCCLXXXIV. The musick performed on this solemnity was selected from his own works under the direction of BROWNLOW Earl of Exeter, JOHN Earl of Sandwich, HENRY Earl of Uxbridge, Sir WATKIN WILLIAMS WYNN Bart. and Sir RICHARD JEBB Bart. The Band consisting of DXXV vocal & instrumental performers was conducted by JOAH BATES Esqr."
"George Frederic Handel | Westminster Abbey
George Frederic Handel, the famous composer, is buried in the south transept of Westminster Abbey. He was born at Halle in Saxony in 1685, son of Georg and Dorothea, and died in London in 1759. He worked first at the opera house in Hamburg and spent several years in Italy before making his first visit to London in 1710. By 1717 he had settled permanently in England and in February 1727 was naturalized as an Englishman by Act of Parliament. Handel made his reputation as a composer of Italian opera for the London stage, but like most composers of the period, he wrote music for a wide range of occasions and patrons. Some of his earliest works setting English words - a birthday ode for the Queen and a Te Deum and Jubilate in celebration of the Treaty of Utrecht - were performed before Queen Anne in 1713. The accession of George I caused Handel some embarrassment, however, for he had previously been employed by the new king in Germany (where George was Elector of Hanover) and had broken his terms of employment by remaining in England. Fortunately, the new monarch forgave Handel this misdemeanour and the composer enjoyed much royal patronage for the remainder of his life.
The works that associate Handel most closely with Westminster Abbey are the four anthems written for the coronation of George II in 1727. The best known, 'Zadok the Priest', has been used at every coronation since then, but all four continue to be regularly performed and recorded. Handel also wrote an anthem, 'The ways of Zion do mourn', for the funeral of Queen Caroline (George II's consort) who was buried in the Abbey in December 1737. A less well-known link between Handel and the Abbey involves Esther, the composer's first oratorio, performed privately at the Crown and Anchor Tavern in the Strand in 1732 under the direction of Bernard Gates. Gates was Master of the Children of the Chapel Royal, but he was also a long-standing member of the Abbey's choir and had assembled a number of his Westminster colleagues to sing in the chorus.
Burial and dating on gravestone
Three days before his death in 1759 Handel signed a codicil to his will saying he hoped he might be buried in the Abbey and desired that his executor erect a monument for him.
The funeral was attended by about 3,000 people and the choirs of the Abbey, St Paul's Cathedral and the Chapel Royal sang the service. Mr Gordin was the Undertaker and George Amyand paid the fees for the service and lead lined coffin (£45 5s. 6d) while Roubiliac paid the £25 to erect the monument and 6 guineas to lay down a gravestone. His black marble gravestone in the south transept reads
GEORGE FREDERIC HANDEL BORN YE 23 FEBRUARY 1684 DIED YE 14 OF APRIL 1759.
The coat of arms on his gravestone is now very worn. A 19th century history of the Abbey records that it shows "a demi-man couped, his left arm a-kimbo, his right holding up a bottle" (ie. the top half of a man's figure with one arm bent at the elbow and the other holding a bottle). The crest above is the same arms shown between two elephant trunks. It is not known why he chose these particular emblems for his coat of arms!
The date of his birth inscribed on the stone is not a mistake but is due to the fact that the new year in England at this period did not begin on 1 January but on 25 March (Lady Day). Therefore, to the contemporary Englishman, Handel was born in February 1684, as the year 1685 would not have begun until 25 March.
Monument
On the wall above his grave is a fine monument by the sculptor Louis Francois Roubiliac (with the same inscription as on the stone but with the dates in Roman numerals). The life-size statue, unveiled in 1762, is said to be an exact likeness as the face was modelled from a death mask. Behind the figure, among clouds, is an organ with an angel playing a harp. On the left of the statue is a group of musical instruments and an open score of his most well-known oratorio Messiah, composed in 1741. Directly in front of him is the musical score I know that my Redeemer liveth. The index finger of his left hand had been missing for a long time and a new one has recently been sculpted to replace it.
Handel Festival
Above the monument a small additional tablet records the Handel festival or 'Commemoration' of 1784. This series of concerts of Handel's music was given in the Abbey by vast numbers of singers and instrumentalists and established a fashion for large-scale performances of Handel's choral works throughout the nineteenth century and much of the twentieth. The inscription reads:
Within these sacred walls the memory of HANDEL was celebrated under the patronage and in the presence of his most Gracious Majesty GEORGE the III on the XXVI, and XXIX of May and on the III and V of June MDCCLXXXIV. The musick performed on this solemnity was selected from his own works under the direction of BROWNLOW Earl of Exeter, JOHN Earl of Sandwich, HENRY Earl of Uxbridge, Sir WATKIN WILLIAMS WYNN Bart. and Sir RICHARD JEBB Bart. The Band consisting of DXXV vocal & instrumental performers was conducted by JOAH BATES Esqr."
George Frederic Handel | Westminster Abbey
Posted from westminster-abbey.org
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BBC - The Birth of British Music: Handel The Conquering
Charles Hazlewood, Presenter & Conductor Sir John Tomlinson, Bass Elin Manahan Thomas, Soprano Nicholas Mulroy Simon Wall Stuart Young Army of Generals Choir...
Thank you, my friend SGT (Join to see) for making us aware that April 20 is the anniversary of the death of 18th century classical composer who was born in Saxony [present day Germany] and emigrated with his family to England and became a British citizen.
BBC - The Birth of British Music: Handel The Conquering
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYR5TP_Y_JA
Background from christianitytoday.com/history/people/musiciansartistsandwriters/george-frideric-handel.html
"By 1741 George Frideric Handel was a failure. Bankrupted, in great physical pain, and the victim of plots to sabotage his career, the once-great opera composer scheduled a "farewell" appearance in London in April. To the London elite, it looked like this "German nincompoop," as he was once called, was through. That summer, however, he composed Messiah, which not only brought him back into the spotlight, but is still deemed by some to be "an epitome of Christian faith."
Opposition begins
Unlike Handel's fellow countryman and contemporary Johann Bach (the two were born the same year but never met), Handel never had a musical family. George's father was a practical "surgeon-barber" who discouraged his son's musical career at every turn. His son was to be a lawyer. Indeed, George studied law until 1703, even though his father (who finally allowed his son to take music lessons at age 9) died when he was 11. By age 12, Handel was substituting for his organ teacher and had written his first composition.
After musical studies in Germany and Italy, Handel moved to England, where he stayed for the rest of his life and became a composer for the Chapel Royal. His greatest passion was for the opera—an ill-timed passion, for the form was quickly falling out of fashion in England. The most popular work was the 1728 Beggar's Opera, which satirized the form itself. Still, Handel continued to pen operas into the 1740s, losing more and more money.
Handel's friends expressed concern that the concert hall was nearly empty. Never mind, he joked, an empty venue would mean great acoustics.
He didn't joke for long. In 1737 Handel's opera company went bankrupt, and he suffered what seems to be a mild stroke. But to make matters worse, his latest musical fascination—the oratorio (a composition for orchestra and voices telling a sacred story without costumes, scenery, or dramatic action)—was his most controversial yet. His first oratorio (actually, the first of its kind in English), Esther, was met with outrage by the church. A Bible story was being told by "common mummers," and even worse, the words of God were being spoken in the theater!
"What are we coming to when the will of Satan is imposed upon us in this fashion?" cried one minister. The bishop of London apparently agreed and prohibited the oratorio from being performed. When Handel proceeded anyway, and the royal family attended, it was met with success—but the church was still angry.
In 1739 advertisements for Israel in Egypt were torn down by devout Christians, who also disrupted its performances. All of this angered the devoutly Lutheran Handel. As his friend Sir John Hawkins commented, "Throughout his life, [he] manifested a deep sense of religion. In conversation he would frequently declare the pleasure he felt in setting the Scriptures to music, and how contemplating the many sublime passages in the Psalms had contributed to his edification."
Though irritated—and Handel was often irritated, earning a reputation for prolific cursing in five languages—he dismissed the Puritans' concerns. "I have read my Bible very well," he said, "and will choose for myself." In fact, Handel maintained that he knew the Bible as well as any bishop. Financially, however, it did him little good. Once the composer for royalty, he was now threatened with debtor's prison.
Delivered by Messiah
Deeply depressed, Handel was visited by his friend Charles Jennens. The wealthy, devout Anglican had written a libretto about the life of Christ and the work of redemption, with the text completely taken from the Bible. A fussy perfectionist, Jennens had written it to challenge the deists who denied the divinity of Jesus. Would Handel compose the music for it? he asked. Handel answered that he would, and estimated its completion in a year.
Soon thereafter, a group of Dublin charities approached Handel to compose a work for a benefit performance. The money raised would help free men from debtor's prison, and Handel would receive a generous commission. Now with a text and a motivation, Handel began composing Messiah on August 22, 1741. Within six days, Part One was finished. In nine more, Part Two. Six more and Part Three was done. It took him only an additional two days to finish the orchestration. Handel composed like a man obsessed. He rarely left his room and rarely touched his meals. But in 24 days he had composed 260 pages—an immense physical feat.
When he finished writing what would become known as the Hallelujah Chorus, he said, "I did think I did see all Heaven before me, and the great God himself."
Though the performance of the piece again caused controversy (Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver's Travels and then the dean of Saint Patrick's Cathedral, was outraged and initially refused to allow his musicians to participate), the premiere on April 13, 1742, at the Fishamble Street Musick Hall was a sensation. An overcapacity crowd of 700 people attended, raising 400 pounds to release 142 men from prison. (The demand for tickets was so great that men were asked not to wear their swords and women asked not to wear hoops in their skirts, allowing 100 extra people into the audience. Such hoops immediately fell out of fashion for concerts.)
Still it took nearly a year for Messiah to be invited to London. Religious controversy surrounded it there, too, and Handel compromised a bit by dropping the "blasphemous" title from handbills. It was instead called "A New Sacred Oratorio." But the controversy wasn't strong enough to keep away the king, who stood instantly at the opening notes of the Hallelujah Chorus—(though some historians have suggested it was because he was partially deaf and mistook it for the national anthem) a tradition ever since.
Though it had met rave reviews in Dublin ("the most finished piece of music"), it was not very popular in London after its premiere. By 1745 Handel was again playing to empty houses and nearing poverty. Not until his oratorio Judas Maccabeus, which was misunderstood by the English as a veiled nationalistic anthem, did Handel (and with him Messiah) reach the pinnacle of his career.
Until his death, Handel conducted 30 performances of Messiah (none at Christmastime, for Handel deemed it a Lenten piece), only one of which was in a church, Bristol Cathedral. In that audience sat John Wesley. "I doubt if that congregation was ever so serious at a sermon as they were during this performance," he remarked.
Handel died on the day before Easter 1759, hoping to "meet his good God, his sweet Lord and Savior, on the day of his Resurrection." A close friend remarked, "He died as he lived—a good Christian, with a true sense of his duty to God and to man, and in perfect charity with all the world."
FYI LTC Stephen C. LTC (Join to see) Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen Lt Col Charlie Brown Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. Maj William W. "Bill" Price Maj Marty Hogan SCPO Morris Ramsey SFC William Farrell SGT Mark Halmrast Sgt Randy Wilber Sgt John H. SGT Gregory Lawritson CPL Dave Hoover SPC Margaret Higgins SSgt Brian Brakke 1stSgt Eugene Harless SSG William Jones SSG Diane R.
BBC - The Birth of British Music: Handel The Conquering
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYR5TP_Y_JA
Background from christianitytoday.com/history/people/musiciansartistsandwriters/george-frideric-handel.html
"By 1741 George Frideric Handel was a failure. Bankrupted, in great physical pain, and the victim of plots to sabotage his career, the once-great opera composer scheduled a "farewell" appearance in London in April. To the London elite, it looked like this "German nincompoop," as he was once called, was through. That summer, however, he composed Messiah, which not only brought him back into the spotlight, but is still deemed by some to be "an epitome of Christian faith."
Opposition begins
Unlike Handel's fellow countryman and contemporary Johann Bach (the two were born the same year but never met), Handel never had a musical family. George's father was a practical "surgeon-barber" who discouraged his son's musical career at every turn. His son was to be a lawyer. Indeed, George studied law until 1703, even though his father (who finally allowed his son to take music lessons at age 9) died when he was 11. By age 12, Handel was substituting for his organ teacher and had written his first composition.
After musical studies in Germany and Italy, Handel moved to England, where he stayed for the rest of his life and became a composer for the Chapel Royal. His greatest passion was for the opera—an ill-timed passion, for the form was quickly falling out of fashion in England. The most popular work was the 1728 Beggar's Opera, which satirized the form itself. Still, Handel continued to pen operas into the 1740s, losing more and more money.
Handel's friends expressed concern that the concert hall was nearly empty. Never mind, he joked, an empty venue would mean great acoustics.
He didn't joke for long. In 1737 Handel's opera company went bankrupt, and he suffered what seems to be a mild stroke. But to make matters worse, his latest musical fascination—the oratorio (a composition for orchestra and voices telling a sacred story without costumes, scenery, or dramatic action)—was his most controversial yet. His first oratorio (actually, the first of its kind in English), Esther, was met with outrage by the church. A Bible story was being told by "common mummers," and even worse, the words of God were being spoken in the theater!
"What are we coming to when the will of Satan is imposed upon us in this fashion?" cried one minister. The bishop of London apparently agreed and prohibited the oratorio from being performed. When Handel proceeded anyway, and the royal family attended, it was met with success—but the church was still angry.
In 1739 advertisements for Israel in Egypt were torn down by devout Christians, who also disrupted its performances. All of this angered the devoutly Lutheran Handel. As his friend Sir John Hawkins commented, "Throughout his life, [he] manifested a deep sense of religion. In conversation he would frequently declare the pleasure he felt in setting the Scriptures to music, and how contemplating the many sublime passages in the Psalms had contributed to his edification."
Though irritated—and Handel was often irritated, earning a reputation for prolific cursing in five languages—he dismissed the Puritans' concerns. "I have read my Bible very well," he said, "and will choose for myself." In fact, Handel maintained that he knew the Bible as well as any bishop. Financially, however, it did him little good. Once the composer for royalty, he was now threatened with debtor's prison.
Delivered by Messiah
Deeply depressed, Handel was visited by his friend Charles Jennens. The wealthy, devout Anglican had written a libretto about the life of Christ and the work of redemption, with the text completely taken from the Bible. A fussy perfectionist, Jennens had written it to challenge the deists who denied the divinity of Jesus. Would Handel compose the music for it? he asked. Handel answered that he would, and estimated its completion in a year.
Soon thereafter, a group of Dublin charities approached Handel to compose a work for a benefit performance. The money raised would help free men from debtor's prison, and Handel would receive a generous commission. Now with a text and a motivation, Handel began composing Messiah on August 22, 1741. Within six days, Part One was finished. In nine more, Part Two. Six more and Part Three was done. It took him only an additional two days to finish the orchestration. Handel composed like a man obsessed. He rarely left his room and rarely touched his meals. But in 24 days he had composed 260 pages—an immense physical feat.
When he finished writing what would become known as the Hallelujah Chorus, he said, "I did think I did see all Heaven before me, and the great God himself."
Though the performance of the piece again caused controversy (Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver's Travels and then the dean of Saint Patrick's Cathedral, was outraged and initially refused to allow his musicians to participate), the premiere on April 13, 1742, at the Fishamble Street Musick Hall was a sensation. An overcapacity crowd of 700 people attended, raising 400 pounds to release 142 men from prison. (The demand for tickets was so great that men were asked not to wear their swords and women asked not to wear hoops in their skirts, allowing 100 extra people into the audience. Such hoops immediately fell out of fashion for concerts.)
Still it took nearly a year for Messiah to be invited to London. Religious controversy surrounded it there, too, and Handel compromised a bit by dropping the "blasphemous" title from handbills. It was instead called "A New Sacred Oratorio." But the controversy wasn't strong enough to keep away the king, who stood instantly at the opening notes of the Hallelujah Chorus—(though some historians have suggested it was because he was partially deaf and mistook it for the national anthem) a tradition ever since.
Though it had met rave reviews in Dublin ("the most finished piece of music"), it was not very popular in London after its premiere. By 1745 Handel was again playing to empty houses and nearing poverty. Not until his oratorio Judas Maccabeus, which was misunderstood by the English as a veiled nationalistic anthem, did Handel (and with him Messiah) reach the pinnacle of his career.
Until his death, Handel conducted 30 performances of Messiah (none at Christmastime, for Handel deemed it a Lenten piece), only one of which was in a church, Bristol Cathedral. In that audience sat John Wesley. "I doubt if that congregation was ever so serious at a sermon as they were during this performance," he remarked.
Handel died on the day before Easter 1759, hoping to "meet his good God, his sweet Lord and Savior, on the day of his Resurrection." A close friend remarked, "He died as he lived—a good Christian, with a true sense of his duty to God and to man, and in perfect charity with all the world."
FYI LTC Stephen C. LTC (Join to see) Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen Lt Col Charlie Brown Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. Maj William W. "Bill" Price Maj Marty Hogan SCPO Morris Ramsey SFC William Farrell SGT Mark Halmrast Sgt Randy Wilber Sgt John H. SGT Gregory Lawritson CPL Dave Hoover SPC Margaret Higgins SSgt Brian Brakke 1stSgt Eugene Harless SSG William Jones SSG Diane R.
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SP5 Jeannie Carle
As a pianist - (not NEARLY as accomplished as most, but love it anyway) - I've always had a HUGE respect for Handel and love his music.
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