Handel moved to London in 1711 at the age of 26 and lived there for the rest of his life, becoming a British citizen in 1727. He was the leading figure in musical London and through his various patrons and business ventures was eventually able to enjoy a comfortable life there. His operas and oratorios were the talk of the town, and became mainstream repertoire in his own time. His philanthropy stretched beyond his lifetime and his music is still among the most widely performed in Britain today.
Katharine Hogg, Librarian at the Gerald Coke Handel Collection, takes us on a tour of the sites in London associated with Handel.
1. Handel House Museum (now Handel & Hendrix in London)
The obvious starting point is Handel’s house, in Brook Street, Mayfair, where he lived from 1723 until his death in 1759, and composed most of his major works. This restored interior includes the original wood panelling and visitors can see four historic rooms, including Handel’s composing room, bedroom and dining room, where he rehearsed and gave informal performances. The house displays period furniture and related exhibits telling the story of Handel’s London. The top floor was once a flat occupied by Jimi Hendrix and has a separate exhibition about him.
2. The Foundling Museum
Handel’s music and philanthropy are explored and displayed in the largest private collection of Handel memorabilia in the world. Handel was a major benefactor of the Foundling Hospital, and his benefit performances of Messiah established the oratorio as a favourite among the public. Handel left the Hospital a copy of the Messiah, now on display, and composed the Foundling Hospital anthem for the charity. The Gerald Coke Handel Collection in the museum has thousands of items including Handel’s will, manuscripts, printed music and books, artworks and ephemera from the eighteenth to the twenty-first centuries, as well as ‘musical chairs’ where visitors can sit comfortably and listen to hours of Handel’s music. There are changing displays on Handel and his music and musicians, and a reading room for study and research.
3. The British Library
Handel gave nearly all of his music manuscripts to his assistant, John Christopher Smith, who in turn gave them to King George II in gratitude for a pension received, and the manuscripts stayed in the Royal Library until 1973 when they were given to the nation. They are now at the British Library, which also holds a large collection of Handel editions and literature about him. The autograph score of Handel’s Messiah is on permanent display, and all of the autograph scores are now fully digitised on the British Library website and available to see free of charge.
4. Westminster Abbey
Handel’s last resting place, the Poets’ and Musicians’ Corner in the Abbey, has an impressive monument to Handel by the leading sculptor Roubiliac. The Abbey was the site of the first performances of Handel’s anthems for the coronation of George II in 1727, which included Zadok the Priest. Handel also composed the funeral anthem The ways of Zion do mourn for the funeral of Queen Caroline here in 1737. The Abbey was the venue for the performances of the famous Handel Commemoration Concerts in 1784, which were on a scale previously unknown, with over 500 performers, and included an organ installed specially for the occasion at the Abbey’s west end.