LIVES OF THE GREAT COMPOSERS: GEORGE FREDERICK HANDE
L. . . Handel was one of the fattest of major composers. He wrote much of his music in bed; if he dropped a page of music on the floor, he would rewrite the entire page rather than lug himself out of bed. Handel ran an opera house in England with imported primadonnas from Italy. One soprano, Cuzzoni, refused to sing one of his arias, claiming it wouldn’t show off her florid voice enough. Handel grabbed her, held her out a window, and threatened to drop her unless she changed her mind. Handel was one of the most religious of the major composers. Even though he suffered a wide variety of setbacks, financial and emotional, he continued trusting in God. After finishing the Alleluia Chorus from the “Messiah,” his servant found him sprawled across the music with tears streaming down his face. He looked up and remarked, “I have seen the face of God.” Handel went…
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