Georg Friedrich Händel

He was born Georg Friedrich Händel in Halle, Germany, in 1685, but later anglicized his name to George Frideric Handel when he moved to London. Both spellings are historically valid, corresponding to his German birth and British citizenship.

Despite being born in the same year and region of Germany, the two legendary Baroque composers never actually met. Handel reportedly traveled to Leipzig to meet Bach in 1719, but Bach returned from a trip just after Handel left.

Besides being a virtuoso organist, Handel was highly regarded as a harpsichordist and played the violin. He often directed the premieres of his operas and oratorios from the keyboard.

Handel found massive success writing elaborate Italian operas in London, but the public's taste changed in the 1730s, and his opera companies faced financial ruin. He pivoted to writing English-language oratorios, which were cheaper to produce and appealed to a broader middle-class audience.