What Handel Did

George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) was a composer celebrated for his orchestral and choral works, which notably include the oratorio Messiah. This esteemed musician was born and raised within the German city of Halle, where he is known by the name Georg Friedrich Händel. Nevertheless, he relocated to England in 1712 and subsequently achieved naturalised British citizenship in the year 1727.^[1]

Career

Handel's paternal progenitor actively discouraged his early inclination towards music, leading him to pursue legal studies for a period. His inaugural two operas premiered in 1705, and the following year, 1706, he embarked on a journey to Italy, where he produced sacred compositions and operas. He then made his way to England in 1712, subsequently crafting musical pieces for Queen Anne and Lord Burlington. By 1717, he held the position of house composer at Cannons in Middlesex, the estate of the Duke of Chandos, for whom he penned the Chandos Anthems. A multitude of his operas and oratorios debuted at the King's Theatre in the Haymarket (presently known as Her Majesty's Theatre) or at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden. However, his most iconic oratorio, Messiah, featuring lyrics derived from the King James Bible, experienced its initial performance in Dublin in 1742.

During his residency in Germany, Handel served as Kapellmeister to the Elector of Hanover, who later ascended to the English throne as George I. Handel created the exceptionally well-received Water Music for the monarch in 1717. In 1727, Handel was commissioned to compose the coronation music for the king's successor, Georg II; the anthem Zadok the Priest has been an integral part of every coronation ceremony held since that time. By 1749, the king had commissioned Handel's Music for the Royal Fireworks: its public rehearsal in Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens was attended by upwards of 12,000 individuals, precipitating a three-hour traffic congestion.

Beethoven offered the following assessment of Handel:

"He is the master of us all... the most eminent composer who has ever existed. I would remove my hat and bow down at his grave. ... Seek him out to discover how to achieve magnificent outcomes through exceedingly straightforward methods."^[2]

Sexuality

Handel never entered into matrimony, and there exists no concrete substantiation indicating he ever engaged in a romantic involvement with either a man or a woman. It is reported that George II inquired about his "fondness for women," to which Handel provided an evasive response, stating he lacked the time for anything beyond his musical pursuits. Although speculation has arisen regarding the possibility of him being gay, this assertion cannot be definitively confirmed or refuted.^[3] According to Ellen Harris, a distinguished professor of music at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Handel's operas exhibit a "patent homosexual subtext":

"The cantatas undeniably possess a homosexual quality. ... A significant number of the cantatas deliberately omit specifying the gender of the beloved, referring to them, for instance, simply as 'the captivating eyes' or 'delicate lips' in a manner that is intentionally indistinct. Furthermore, these pieces were conceived to be performed by both male and female vocalists, encompassing both castrato and soprano singers."^[4]

Dr. Ellis contends that, as he advanced in age, Handel became integrated into a homosexual social circle that fostered his work on the ambiguously gendered cantatas. She asserts that Lord Burlington and the Duke of Chandos, his two primary British benefactors, were both homosexual, as was Prince Francesco Maria Ruspoli, one of his Italian patrons.

"The majority of the gentlemen who commissioned these compositions had already been identified with the homosexual milieu of their era. ... The cantatas were indeed private compositions intended for patrons and to be presented within their residences. ... Despite the fact that most of Handel's patrons were married, a considerable number of them participated in same-sex relationships."^[4]

References

1. ↑http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/parliamentary-archives/archives-highlights/handel-and-naturalisation/ "British Citizen by Act of Parliament: George Frideric Handel" Parliament.uk, 14 April 2009.
2. ↑Percy Marshall Young, Handel (Master Musician series), J M Dent & Sons, 1975, isbn 0-460-03161-9.
3. ↑http://tehandmusicology.blogspot.co.uk/2008/10/queer-handel.htmlTeh and Musicology blog, "Queer Handel" 26 October 2008.
4. ↑ ^4.04.1http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/germany/1360091/Handel-was-gay-his-music-proves-it-claims-academic.html Catherine Milner, "Handel was gay - his music proves it, claims academic", Daily Telegraph, 21 October 2001, quoting from Handel as Orpheus: Voice and Desire in the Chamber Cantatas by Ellen T Harris, Harvard University Press, 2004, isbn 978-0674015982.