Leadership topic - Handel

George Fredrick Handel was born in Germany, but Unexpectedly came to prominence only when he became the court musician to King George I of England in the mid 1700’s.  Mixing together baroque music and the operas that were dominant on the continent, he produced music that we assume now was always popular…

Handel was forced to navigate the many different controls of the emerging new world, working with all types of music, leaders, and even countries. Most music was religious, until one of his classmates – Telemann –  encouraged him to compose secular music that was becoming more common.  He was also fascinated with the emerging art form Opera coming out of Italy, and was even offered a scholarship there by the King.  He eventually moved there under the House of Medici, and started writing many of his earliest vocal tracks which were good enough to be noticed by Prince George of Hanover… yes, that George who was about to become King of England… The perfect soundtrack for our study of Unexpected.