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Currents
October 2017
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George Frederick Handel is another famous Ger-
man musician of the Baroque period. Born in the
same year as Bach, he too was an organist. But the
similarities stop there. While Bach spent his entire
life in Germany, Handel was a sophisticated traveler
who studied music in Italy and lived most of his adult
life in England.
Unlike Bach, Handel earned international fame
during his lifetime. He received a royal commission
to compose a special suite for King George I of Eng-
lish. When you listen to Handel’s Water Music, you
can almost “see” the King’s splendid procession
down the River Thames. The Messiah is Handel’s
masterpiece. This magnificent oratorio speaks to
one’s soul.
Towards the middle of the eighteenth century, the
quality of Baroque music began to deteriorate. A
renowned Austrian composer named Franz Joseph
Haydn felt that the complex, ornamental style of
Baroque music needed to be simplified. His elegant
compositions stressed clarity and simplicity – the
characteristics of what would be called the Classical
style.
For almost 30 years, Haydn held the position of
musical director for the Hungarian Prince Esterházy.
During this period, Haydn composed many sonatas,
string quartets and more than 100 symphonies. No
wonder he is called the “father” of the symphony.
If Haydn is the founder of the Classical style,
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is its master. As a child,
this Austrian prodigy toured Europe with his father.
But fame brought Mozart neither happiness nor
wealth. In his short life, Mozart wrote four sym-
phonies, 30 piano concertos, more than 20 string
quartets and three comic operas.
Mozart’s style epitomizes the purity of Classical
music. The melody of his compositions rings clear
and pure like a crystal bell. When you listen to
Mozart, you understand that music is indeed an
international language.
Part Two of a Four-part Series on Music