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Handel's Biography

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What we know of Handel’s personality comes from surviving letters, quotes, and anecdotes. The sources all agree about certain traits. For one thing, he was a very large man, and one that enjoyed food and drink immensely. This gave rise to satire such as the cartoon below by a contemporary, which depicts him as a gluttonous hog at the organ.

Yet any excessive appetite for food that he may have had was balanced by a generous and liberal disposition. He gave much to charities and friends, and those who knew him spoke highly of these qualities. At his death he gave considerable portions of his fortune to the Foundling Hospital orphanage, and helped establish a charity to support musicians and their families during hard times, which still exists in England today as the Royal Society of Musicians.

Though he had many friends and acquaintances, Handel himself was inclined to be private about his personal affairs. Not only did he never marry, but there is scant evidence to indicate any romantic attachments. And due to his reluctance to cooperate with biographers later in life, several aspects of his life are not as well documented as we might like.

In his traveling he picked up many languages, but always spoke them with a thick German accent. They all tended to meld together as well, particularly when he got angry or flustered. He could be easily annoyed and quite temperamental, making him difficult to work with. Many stories have him throwing tantrums and insulting his rivals or performers. (For example, he once picked up a soprano and threatened to throw her out of a window.) But it is also stated that he was never the type who held a grudge, nor any real malice toward anyone. He seems merely to have been a perfectionist about his art. And though his outward behavior could be abrasive, and often amusingly so, inside he was more gentle than most, and free from ill-will.

Handel’s religion is a common source of interest. Though by all accounts he was very devout and believed strongly in charity, his particular denomination remains a mystery, if he followed one at all. Some characterize him as a humanist, very tolerant and accepting of all faiths. If this is the case, it fits well with his art. It must be observed that most of his music was for the theater instead of the church, and that human drama and the experience of this world were what captured his interest.

Compared with most composers, Handel was notable for his independence and industry. He never accepted a court appointment, church position, or any official patron. Though opera and oratorio were dangerous ventures, drama was what he wished to create, and this necessitated constant work and entrepreneurship. As great an artist as he was, he seems to have realized that fulfilling his goals would require more than just writing music, and he never shied away from other responsibilities. Despite many obstacles and setbacks, his humility and hard work paid off in the end, and he was one of the few composers of his day to end his life in prosperity and good standing in his community. And in addition to securing his own place, he shared his success with others and raised the fortunes of those around him.

One of Handel's friends put it best when he said of him: "He died as he lived - a good Christian, with true sense of his duty to God and man, and in perfect charity with all the world."

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Biography: Upbringing and Early Career | Handel's Opera Career | Transition to Oratorios | Final years | Legacy | Personality

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