On this day, 266 years ago, on April 6, 1759 (March 10, 1759, the British and German composer Handel passed away. George Friedrich Handel (1685.2.23~1759.4.6) On February 23, 1685, Handel was born in the town of Halle in central Germany. Unlike his great contemporary Bach, his family did not have much music: his father was a barber and surgeon who regarded music as a humble profession (indeed, under the patron system of the time, musicians could only be regarded as skilled servants). But young Handel, who was naturally fond of music, secretly practiced playing the clavichord despite his father's opposition (it is hard to imagine that Handel, who later competed with Bach in the field of keyboard instrument playing, received his enlightenment in this way!) Handel spent his childhood amidst such contradictory adversity. Later, the local lord Archduke of Saxony-Weisensfeld accidentally discovered young Handel practicing piano and was deeply moved by his perseverance and talent, so he came forward and persuaded the old Handel to allow his talented son to study music seriously. In the following years, Handel learned keyboard instruments and composition with composer and organist Chahao, and also learned to play oboe and violin. With his extraordinary talent and the guidance of famous teachers, little Handel made rapid progress. When Handel died in 1697, he was obsessed with making his son a lawyer rather than making music. Handel did not give up his artistic pursuit. In 1702, he first entered Harley University to study law, in accordance with his father's orders, and also worked as a part-time organist in the local church. Eighteen years old is the age to start a family and start a career-in 1703, Handel officially started his musical career, traveling alone to Hamburg to become a violinist in the opera house (Bach also started his career as an organist in this year). Handel's talent soon attracted the attention of some art patrons, some of whom planned to give up money to allow the young Handel to go to Italy to study opera and composition (not for free, of course, and would come back to serve them after completing his studies). The ambitious Handel politely declined the sponsorships: he wanted to rely on his own efforts to earn enough tuition to study abroad, and could not sell his future to others. In 1705, the successful performance of Handel's opera "Almyra" enabled him to embark on the journey of studying abroad. At that time, Italy was a mecca for opera art in Europe. Handel crossed the Alps and studied in Naples, Rome, Florenza and Venice for three years. He had interactions with masters such as Scarlati and Corelli and learned the art of Italian opera. Handel, who returned from his studies, was welcomed everywhere in Germany. In 1710, the 25-year-old young man became the court chief of the Elector of Hanover. He was not satisfied with this good job, but set his sights overseas. At that time, Britain was much richer than Germany, and opera art was more popular there. But since Purcell's death in 1695, the art of opera in Britain has stalled and needs fresh blood. Handel saw this opportunity and asked for a year's leave from his master to cross the sea to England. In the following years, Handel traveled back and forth between England and Germany. His arrival brought a breeze to the dreary British opera world. In London, his opera Rinaldo was a great success. In 1713, he won the recognition of Queen Anne with his "Queen's Birthday Carol", so Handel simply refused to return to Hanover. Fate played a trick on the deserting court chief: Queen Anne died without children in 1714, and Handel's "old guide", George, the Elector of Hanover, inherited the British throne as a relative of the British king. Handel was afraid to suffer. But he remained calm and welcomed the new King George with a carefully composed "Water Music". The king was amazed at the luxury and elegance of the music and asked who wrote it. When he learned that the author was an old subordinate Handel, he not only forgave him for his old mistakes, but also immediately increased his annual salary. Over the next ten years, Handel created a large number of vocal and instrumental works, especially operas, which won him a huge reputation throughout Europe; he was also a world-recognized master of pipe organs, and at that time, only Bach could match him. But from the late 1820s, the originally popular Italian-language opera began to decline in Britain. In 1729 a comic opera composed by Popesh called The Beggar's Opera was performed in London. The play is written in English and is based on the everyday life of ordinary citizens. The play was well received, and the traditional Italian opera showed serious shortcomings in comparison: singing in Italian limited the understanding of English audiences; mythical stories, aristocratic conflicts, etc. did not attract the interest of the emerging civic class. Through this play, the author makes a ruthless satire on Handel and his Italian opera. When a group of thieves came on stage, the music that sounded turned out to be "March of the Crusaders" in Handel's famous work "Rinaldo" in Britain! Handel's status, who started his career in Italian opera, has been hit as never before. Several performances of his operas failed one after another, and the opera house he operated was eventually forced to close. His political opponents who were jealous of him took the opportunity to create all kinds of rumors... In 1737, Handel suffered a stroke and hemiplegia, and people thought his music career was over. Oratorio is a form of music developed since the 17th century. It often takes religious or semi-religious stories as its theme and focuses on musical expression without complex stage plots. Since the plot is based on Bible stories that are familiar to the British and is sung in English, it will have a good market in the UK. In 1742, driven by an incredible enthusiasm, he completed the creation of the oratorio "Messiah" in just 24 days. In the same year, the work was staged low-key in Dublin, the capital of Ireland. To the surprise of many people, this work hit a hit in Dublin. Handel is back in the British music life! When the news reached London, people asked to see it. When it was staged in London the following year, King George II of England came to the theater. When the final movement "Hallelujah" was played, the King couldn't help but feel excited and stood up and listened to the whole song ("Hallelujah "must be listened standing. It is an unwritten rule that continues to this day). In order to protect the status of "Messiah" from being damaged by excessive playing, the King of England decreed that it be played only once a year in the spring, and that only Handel himself was qualified to conduct. Handel's oratorio is simple and touching, integrating a high degree of artistry and pious religious beliefs into each note. Everything from "Saul","Israel in Egypt" to "Samson" is equally excellent. In 1750 (the year when Bach died), the elderly Handel was injured in a car accident. The following year his vision began to deteriorate and he was soon completely blind. He still spends his illness participating in various social activities, including conducting the performance of "Messiah" every spring. On April 6, 1759, the 74-year-old master Handel, who was already blind, conducted "Messiah" for the last time at the Royal Theatre. Amid the stormy applause, the old man fell. A few days later, this music superstar died. Handel enjoyed the treatment of a state funeral and slept in the Westminster Abbey Cemetery where successive kings and sages were buried, where a memorial statue of Handel stands to this day. Looking back on Handel's life, he was indeed an evergreen and versatile player in the music industry: during his nearly 60-year music career, he gained a huge reputation in Germany, Britain, Italy and even Europe; His works integrate Germany's rigorous counterpoint, Italian solo art and British chorus traditions into one, becoming treasures in the history of world music. Together with Bach and Vivaldi, he drew a successful end to the glorious Baroque era.