FAMOUS COMPOSERS:
George Frideric Handel

HANDEL BIOGRAPHY HISTORY LESSON

Directions:

Print the George Frideric Handel reading comprehension passage and questions (see below).

Students should read the passage silently, then answer the questions.  Teachers may also use the text as part of a classroom lesson plan.

Lesson Excerpt

George Frideric Handel is one of the most famous composers of the Baroque period of music. He was born in Halle, Germany on February 23, 1685. He loved music from a very young age, which was a bit of a problem, since his father hated it! Handel was not allowed to play musical instruments, and his father insisted that he study to become a lawyer. Like many other people in Europe, Handel's father had the idea that musicians were of weak character and that listening to music could make people lose all self-control. Some even went so far as to think that God disapproved of music!

Luckily, Handel did not pay much attention to negative ideas about music, and he certainly did not believe that God would disapprove of it. In fact, he grew up to write one of the most famous religious pieces ever composed. Handel learned very quickly. He was somehow able to learn to play the clavichord (an instrument that is something like a small piano) and the organ. No one is sure how Handel was able to do this without his father finding out, but some stories suggest that his mother hid a clavichord in the family's attic for Handel to play.

Continued...