George Frideric Handel

George Frideric Handel's music is known as the culmination of the Baroque style. Unlike many composers, Handel was enormously popular in his own life despite the fact of his reputation to eat and look like "the Great Bear" (one of his nicknames). He was born on February 23, 1685 (the same year as Bach) in Halle, Germany. By the age of 17, Handel was already a major figure in German music. In 1706, he traveled to Italy and was inspired to begin writing operas, the most popular entertainments of the time. In 1710, he traveled to London, where he was widely successful, as evidenced by the very generous salary of £200 (around $45,930 today) he received from Queen Anne. When George I succeeded to the throne after Queen Anne of England's death in 1714, Handel had some embarrassment because he had broken his terms of employment by remaining in England. However, George I forgave him after hearing Handel's famous Water Music, which George I liked so much that he had it played three times at a royal party. Eventually, Handel was made the musical director of The Royal Academy of Music.

When the popularity for operas subsided, Handel almost went bankrupt but restored his fortune by popularizing the oratorio (a dramatized biblical story set to music), the most popular being The Messiah. In 1737, he suffered from a stroke and was involved in a coach crash in 1750. At the height of his popularity after his comeback with oratorios, Handel developed cataracts and eventually went blind from inflammation of the eye after a botched eye operation in 1751. The interesting thing is that the operation was performed by the famous "Chevalier" John Taylor, who also mishandled eye surgeries on other notable composers like Johann Sebastian Bach. However, he continued to play the organ and conduct, so his influence only increased. He fainted during a performance of the Messiah in 1759 and died soon afterward. The latest study suggests that he died from lead poisoning, most likely caused by his binge eating and drinking.

Handel is buried in the south transept of Westminster Abbey. He died on April 14, 1759, at age 74. Over three thousand people attended his funeral in Westminster Abbey, and around 1.57 million tourists visiting Westminster Abbey pass by his grave each year (like I did!)