Grade 3, Unit 1, Lesson 6
George Frideric Handel was born in Germany on February
23, 1685 and died in London, England on April 14, 1759.
Little George liked music from a very early age, but his
father, who was a barber and a surgeon, did not want him
to become a musician. In fact, his father made him stop
playing music altogether. But, Handel couldn’t stop playing.
He snuck up in the attic to practice the clavichord, which
is an early type of piano.
Handel eventually got his way and became a musician. He
became the organist of a church when he was only 17. He
studied music in college and eventually became a very
successful composer in Germany and Italy. When Handel
was about 30 years old, he decided to move to England
and he lived there for the rest of his life.
Handel composed many famous pieces. He wrote some pieces
for instruments only, but he also wrote operas and other
pieces for singers. His most famous composition is a very
long piece called the Messiah. Choirs all over the world
still sing this piece during the winter holidays—almost
300 years after he composed it.
1. What types of instruments did Handel use in his compositions?
2. Think of a pop song you’ve heard on the radio. If it
is still popular 300 years from now, what year will that
be? Return
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