George Friederich Handel was born in Halle, Germany, on February 23, 1685. His father intended him to be a lawyer, and Handel indeed enrolled at the University of Halle as a law student. Luckily, however, he also had been studying with the Halle cathedral organist Wilhelm Zachow, and eventually left Halle in 1703 to begin his musical career in Hamburg as a violinist and harpsichordist. He subsequently traveled to Italy, where he began presenting his operas and cantatas. …
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…through 1754, when Handel probably last conducted the work himself. From 1755 through 1757, the performers consistently were sopranos Giulia Frasi and Christina Passerini, contralto Caterina Galli, tenor John Beard, and bass Robert Wass. Frasi and Beard continued on through the last performances in 1759, all but one of which took place within days of Handel's death. Handel is thought to possibly have conducted or at least attended one of these last performances. Handel died in London on April 14, 1759.