JustSheetMusic
Portrait of George Frideric Handel

Composer

George Frideric Handel

German-British Baroque composer (1685–1759)

1685–1759

5,055 works in the index

Born
1685
Died
1759
Birthplace
Halle (Saale)
Place of death
Westminster
Citizenship / historical state
Brandenburg-Prussia; Kingdom of Great Britain; Holy Roman Empire
Period (estimated from birth year)
Baroque

Biography

Handel spent most of his career in London writing for the public rather than a court, and it shows in the music: direct, grand and built to work in a large room. The catalogue is dominated by the oratorios, the keyboard suites and a great deal of instrumental music.

Messiah is the most-performed choral work in the language and is sold in a bewildering number of editions, from full scholarly scores to simplified singalong versions — check what you are buying, because they are not interchangeable in a rehearsal. The keyboard suites include the variations known as The Harmonious Blacksmith and are more approachable than Bach's equivalent works.

Much of his instrumental music exists in arrangements for combinations he never wrote for. These are legitimate and often excellent, but the listing does not always make clear which you are getting.

Life and musical career

Occupations
composer; harpsichordist; organist; violinist; opera composer; impresario; university teacher
Education
Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg
Teachers
Friedrich Wilhelm Zachow
Instruments played
pipe organ; harpsichord; oboe
Genres
opera; oratorio; concerto; anthem; classical music; coronation anthem
Movements
Baroque music
Notable works
Messiah; Water Music; Music for the Royal Fireworks; Giulio Cesare in Egitto; Alcina; Serse; Concerti grossi, Op. 6
Official website
http://gfhandel.org
Birth name
Georg Friedrich Händel
Native languages
German
Languages used
German; English; Italian
VIAF ID
5126950
ISNI
0000000122759702
GND ID
118544489
Library of Congress ID
n79129204
MusicBrainz ID
27870d47-bb98-42d1-bf2b-c7e972e6befc

Recorded in Wikidata. Affiliations may refer to earlier stages of the composer's career.

In this catalogue

Common listed instruments
Piano, Choir, Organ, Voice, Flute
Genres represented
Classical, Rock, Christmas, pop, Jazz
Works with composition dates
153 of 5,055

These details describe the indexed sheet music, including arrangements.

Catalogue

Works page 78 of 106

Years are composition dates where known. Instruments describe editions in our catalogue and may include arrangements. A dash means the detail is not recorded.

Works and available sheet music details
WorkYear composedCatalogue / opusKey in titleListed instrumentsGenreEditions
Second Movement — —— TromboneClassical 0
Sonata No. 8 — —— —Classical 0
Adagio and Presto from Flute Sonata — —— percussionClassical 0
Aria-Pno.Var. — —— Piano, Flute— 0
Surely He Hath Borne Our — —— Cello, Flute, Choir, Clarinet, percussion, Viola— 0
Thou Shalt Break Them W/A Rod — —— Cello, Flute, Choir, Clarinet, percussion, Viola— 7
Wayfaring Stranger — —— —Classical 0
Rend'il Sereno al Ciglio — —— —Classical 0
Weep No More — —— —Classical 0
Utrecht Te Deum — —— bass, TenorClassical 3
Smiling Hours A Joyful — —— —Classical 2
The Policeman's Song — —— —Classical 0
Prelude & Toccata — —— Harp— 0
Coronation Anthem #1 — —— Voice, Choir— 0
2. Dance — —— —— 0
2. Andante pastorale — —— —— 0
Xerxes , HWV40: 'Ombra mai fu' Performed by George Frideric Handel — HWV40— —— 0
I. Adagio — —— Cello, Flute— 0
Oboe Concerto in B-flat major, HWV301 — HWV301B-flat major OboeClassical 2
Giulio Cesare in Egitto, HWV17 - Act II: 'V'adoro, pupille' Performed by George Frideric Handel — HWV17— —— 0
Giulio Cesare in Egitto, HWV17 - Act III: 'Piangero, piangero la sorte mia' Performed by George Frideric Handel — HWV17— —— 0
Messiah, HWV56 - I: 16. 'Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice greatly' — HWV56— —— 1
Messiah, HWV56 - I: 17. 'Come unto Him' Performed by George Frideric Handel — HWV56— —— 1
Messiah, HWV56 - I: 2. 'Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people' Performed by George Frideric Handel — HWV56— —— 1
Messiah, HWV56 - I: 3. 'Ev'ry valley, ev'ry valley shall be exalted' Performed by George Frideric Handel — HWV56— —— 1
Messiah, HWV56 - II: 38. 'Thou shall break them' Performed by George Frideric Handel — HWV56— —— 1
Judas Maccabeus, HWV53: II. 26. 'Sound an alarm! Your silver trumpets sound' Performed by George Frideric Handel — HWV53— —— 9
Messiah, HWV56 - III: 43. 'The trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be rais'd' Performed by George Frideric Handel — HWV56— —— 1
Messiah, HWV56 - II: 36a. 'Why do the nations so furiously rage together' Performed by George Frideric Handel — HWV56— —— 1
Judas Maccabeus, HWV53: I. 7. 'Arm, arm, ye brave!' Performed by George Frideric Handel — HWV53— —— 1
Theodora, HWV68 - I:14. 'Angels, ever bright and fair' Performed by George Frideric Handel — HWV68— —— 0
Xerxes , HWV40 - I: 2. 'Ombra mai fu du vegetabile' Performed by George Frideric Handel — HWV40— —— 0
Sonata No. 5 in F Major — —F major Flute— 1
III. Siciliana — —— Flute— 0
Sonata No. 2 for Flute and Piano in G major, op. 1, no. 5, HWV363b — op. 1, no. 5; HWV363bG major Flute— 1
Sonata in F major for Flute and piano, op. 1, no. 11, HWV369 Performed by George Frideric Handel — op. 1, no. 11; HWV369F major Piano, FluteClassical 0
Berenice, Regina d'Egitto, HWV38: Overture — HWV38— Horn, Trombone, Tuba— 2
The Water Music, HWV348 Performed by George Frideric Handel — HWV348— —— 0
Aria con variazione — —— —— 1
Violin Sonata No. 6: Adagio cantabile — —— Trombone— 1
Bourree in D Minor — —D minor —— 0
Air in G Major — —G major PianoClassical 0
Sarabande and Variations — —— —— 0
Air In B-flat Major — —B-flat major Piano— 2
Gavotte In G Minor — —G minor Piano— 1
Menuet in B Minor — —B minor Piano— 1
Passepied in C Major — —C major Piano— 2
Sonatina In B-flat Major — —B-flat major Piano— 1

Biographical record: Wikidata, matched on name and checked against dates held in the catalogue. The period label is an estimate from birth year. The biography above is our own. Authority record: VIAF 8931159248059304870007. Portrait: Attributed to Balthasar Denner, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.