Who was Handel?
Georg Frideric Handel (1685-1759) was born in the same country, Germany, in the same year as Bach, though the two never met. In total contrast to Bach, the cosmopolitan Handel travelled far and wide. After a few years in Italy learning his craft, he enjoyed enormous commercial and artistic success in London, where he settled and even (by a special Act of Parliament) became an English citizen. Handel was a no-nonsense bachelor: he never married and is not known to have had romantic liaisons. He was generally a sociable type who enjoyed his beer, though he had a reputation for being careful with money. The house where he lived in Brook St, London, is now a museum dedicated to the composer.
