George Frideric Handel

George Frideric Handel April 1759 was a German, later British baroque composer who spent the bulk of his career in London, becoming well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, and organ concertos. Handel received critical training in Halle, Hamburg and Italy before settling in London in 1712 he became a naturalised British subject in 1727. He was strongly influenced both by the great composers of the Italian Baroque and the middleGerman polyphonic choral tradition.

Handel was born in 1685 in Halle, Duchy of Magdeburg, to Georg Hndel and Dorothea Taust. His father, 63 when George Frideric was born, was an eminent barbersurgeon who served the court of SaxeWeissenfels and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. According to Handels first biographer, John Mainwaring, he had discovered such a strong propensity to Music, that his father who always intended him for the study of the Civil Law, had reason to be alarmed. He strictly forbade him to meddle with any musical instrument but Handel found means to get a little clavichord privately conveyd to a room at the top of the house. To this room he constantly stole when the family was asleep. At an early age Handel became a skilful performer on the harpsichord and pipe organ.

Source: Wikipedia