Olivia+Handel

Olivia: Handel 1. He was born on February 23, 1685 in Germany. 2. His father didn't like music, so he forbade him to play any musical instruments. 3. His father wanted him to become a lawyer. 4. His first music teacher was F.W. Zachau. 5. At 11 years old, he knew how to play the violin, clavichord, harpsicord, and organ, and could understand harmony, counterpoint, and composition. 6. Handel studied law to be a lawyer for some time, but, as we know, Handel chose music instead. 7. He accepted a job as a violinest; he became good friends with the composer, Johanne Matthesen. They eventually got into a fight about how one of the songs should be performed that turned into a physical fight. 8. For eight years, he was the music director of the Royal Academy of Music. 9. Handel produced operas and oratorio. 10. Handel's best known oratorio is **//T//**//h**e Messiah,**// which has three parts, takes about 2 1/2 hours to perform, and took him only 25 days to write. 11. Some of Handel's greatest peaces were **//The Messiah//**, **//"The Cooto and the Nightinale" concerto//**, **//The Music for the Royal Fireworks,//** and **//The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba.//** 12. He had a temper; he yelled at people if they didn't perform the way that he wanted them to. 13. People from London called him the "great bear" because he was a big man with a wierd walk. 14. Hndel had medical problems that stopped him from composing music, such as, a stroke at age 52, becoming blind in one eye at age 65, and eventually became blind in both eyes. 15. Handel died on April 14, 1759 when he was in London.