Handel, the "Great Bear"

George Frideric Handel was the composer that almost wasn't. As a hot-headed temperamental youth of 19, he found himself in a real duel outside a theater in Hamburg, Germany, facing an opponent -- Johann Mattheson, 22, actor, composer, musician and friend -- already famous for his operas and quite skilled in the art of fencing. Handel, it seems, refused to release the leadership of the orchestra to its own composer after Mattheson stepped off the stage and back into the orchestra pit. There was a scuffle between both youths in the pit while the opera played on above, with the other musicians egging them on. Handel was tall, strong, broad-shouldered and muscular; Mattheson slapped him across the face. Still angry, Handel gave way but challenged Mattheson to a duel after the show.

Afterwards, surrounded by so many people, Handel couldn't back down, so both men drew their swords and circled each other warily. They had been good friends for over a year, but both men had hot tempers and huge egos. A couple of times they thrust their swords towards each other, but their attacks were quickly parried.

Suddenly Mattheson saw his chance. He lunged forward, the tip of his sword pointed directly at Handel's heart. He give a powerful thrust -- and the blade glanced off one of Handel's huge brass coat buttons and shattered. Saved by a button! The close call fortunately brought both young men to their senses and, though still angry, they were able to walk away. Neither really wanted to kill the other, and a few weeks later made up and became better friends than before!

How quickly Divine Providence had intervened and saved the future composer of The Messiah from becoming the composer who wasn't!!

It did appear that many things were not stacked in George Friderick Handel's favor. As a little boy, the son of the famous George Friederick Handel, Sr., he loved music and longed to play the clavichord. His father, the noted barber-surgeon to the Duke of Saxe-Weisenfels, however, absolutely forbid his son to study music. Aunt Anna, his mother's sister who lived with them, felt sorry for the young boy, and despite his father's wishes bought him a clavichord and hid it in the attic. The little boy was delighted and soon spent most of his time playing and composing his own music in the attic whenever his father wasn't around.

One day, however, George Jr. couldn't resist playing the huge organ in the court of the Duke. The church organist was amazed at the 8 year old boy who had had no lessons but could play such beautiful music. He brought George to the Duke himself, an avid music lover, who after listening to the boy enthusiastically gave him a purse filled with gold coins to pay for music lessons! To his father's chagrin, George had had his own way, again.

Although he did study law for a time to please his father, after he died George soon was composing music again. The rage at this time was Italian opera, and George knew that Italy was the place to be. Already the composer of his first two operas, he left Germany at 21 to study there.

George grew to love Italy and Italian opera, with its challenging arias, spectacular scenery, and plots based on ancient Classical subjects. Everything was sung. Over the next four years he lived and studied in Florence, Naples, Rome and Venice, and composed a great deal. He also was in another duel -- although this time it was on the organ and harpsichord with Domenico Scarlatti . The harpsichord contest was ruled a draw, but both agreed that Handel was a much better organist!

Italy had made a huge impact on Handel, and gave him many opportunities. When he decided to return to Germany in 1710 it was as the kapellmeister (orchestra leader) for George Ludwig, the elector of Hanover. Handel was twenty-five years old.

A cosmopolitan man who loved to travel, later that year he visited London, one of the most intellectually exciting places in Europe at that time. Italian opera was just starting to make an impact there, and Handel became a huge success with the premiere of his opera Rinaldo. Afterward, back home in Germany, he longed for England and began learning English. He soon essentially abandoned his post in Hanover to live in London.

Handel had realized that he had the potential to make a great deal more money in London than he ever could as the kapellmeister at Hanover, and success came to him very soon. His music became extremely popular, and everyone seemed to love it --including Queen Anne, who liked a composition he wrote for her so much that she awarded him a large yearly pension. Handel's gamble had paid off handsomely, except for the fact that the elector of Hanover was very angry at him for leaving his court. Handel evidently could live with this.

But then, Queen Anne died. In a quirky twist of fate that so often happens, his former employer George Ludwig became George I, the first English king of the House of Hanover. Who knew?

Lucky for him, the new king didn't hold a grudge.

Handel continued with his success in England and made a great deal of money. In 1717 he composed one of his most famous works, Water Music, for the king, which would be played during the king's boat trip down the Thames. George I liked it so much that he asked for it to be replayed several times! During these years in London Handel composed 46 successful operas full of high drama, happy melodic music, and tons of special effects like storms at sea and flying chariots.

Although Handel continued to compose operas, as time went on the demand for Italian opera began to fade. Soon he found himself showing less of a profit. That same hot temper surged as his finances began to plummet. Handel became famous for shouting at singers. It was said that he hated to listen to instruments being tuned so musicians would have to tune up the night before. His temper tantrums were legendary; he once threw a kettledrum at an orchestra member and stomped on someone's double bass! When faced with a famous prima donna from Italy who refused to sing one of his arias, he stormed over to her, picked her up and threatened to throw her out the window! Large-boned and loud, he wore an enormous white wig and would insert "colorful" snatches of German, French or Italian into his conversation. Londoners mocked his size (they called him the "Great Bear"), his thick German accent and his eating habits.

John Gay's The Beggar's Opera, written in English in 1727, was the death knell of the Italian opera in England. Deep in debt and on the edge of financial disaster, Handel tried to regroup, but the stress took its toll. Now in his fifties, his right hand became paralyzed. He traveled to a spa on the continent to heal and to try to figure things out.

A very practical person, Handel finally hit upon the idea of composing oratorio - a dramatized Bible story set to music. He had written an oratorio earlier, but now that the public no longer wanted opera he was able to channel all of his creative energies in that direction.

Unfortunately the public didn't buy it. The Church of England decried his choice of putting biblical themes onto a secular stage. His occasional successes were followed by more failure. He was swimming in debt and seemed destined for debtor's prison. But once again, fate intervened.

In 1741, he accepted an invitation from a Dublin charity to compose a work for a benefit performance. Handel was so deep in debt at this point that he considered this to be his farewell performance; but then a wealthy friend, Charles Jennens, gave Handel a libretto based on the life of Christ taken entirely from the Bible.

In three weeks the most famous oratorio in the history of the world was completely finished.

The Messiah was an overnight success, and his financial problems were put behind him. He wrote more oratorios, and in 1749 wrote another famous piece, Royal Fireworks Music. Soon afterward he became blind, but still continued to compose and perform.

After attending a performance of The Messiah on April 6, 1759, he became faint and was put to bed. He died the following week. More than three thousand people came to his funeral.

And so Handel, the composer who almost wasn't, though the grace of God was able to accomplish his mission on earth to give glory back to God through the talent given to him. Isn't that what we're all called to do?