George Frideric Handel (as he called himself after his change of nationality, as he signed himself, and as he is known in the English-speaking world) (1685–1759) was a German/English baroque composer who was a leading composer of concerti grossi, operas, and oratorios.

Born Georg Friedrich Händel on 23rd February 1685 in Halle an der Saale (Germany), Handel lived most of his life in England, and became English by Act of Parliament in 1727. His most famous piece is the Messiah, an oratorio set to texts from the King James Bible; other well-known works are the Water Music and the Music for the Royal Fireworks. He deeply influenced many of the composers who came after him, including Franz Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Ludwig van Beethoven, and his work helped lead the transition from the Baroque to the classical era. He died on 14th April 1759.

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