HANDEL HOUSE – HALLE
Composer’s Birthplace and Music MuseumE
There is no doubt that Halle an der Salle in takes pride in one of its home town sons, the Baroque Composer Georg Frideric Handel, one of the most famous even in his time. His statue stands in the center of market square, where in most other towns a general or duke would be memorialized (on a horse). Here he is, a musician, leaning on a chorale stand, looking across the busy plaza toward the city’s Markt Church where he learned the organ. Though, born in the city, he would only live there for 18 years.
A short distance from the Marktplatz statue is a stately house of yellow plaster bought in 1666 by Georg Handel, who was the valet de’ chambre and barber-surgeon to Duke August, where George Frideric Handel was born,on February 23, 1685. It is only a few paces from the Halle Cathedral, where the young composer served his apprenticeship in the post of organist for one year until he left Halle in 1703.
The Handel House Museum of Music, or more commonly, just the Handel House has been the home of permanent exhibitions on the life and work of George Frideric Handel since it first opened after the war in 1948, with a collection of historical musical instruments, paintings and prints, first edition books to present a vibrant impression of how Handel lived. Two buildings from the Renaissance period and Baroque where joined in the 1980s to house the growing collection. There some 750 musical instruments on display, spread between two buildings and two original portraits of Handel.
Handel History
George Frideric Handel was born in Halle on February 23, 1685. His father intended him for the law, but recognizing his early gift for music, allowed him as a young boy to study under Friedrich Wilhelm Zachow, the organist at the Marktkirche in Halle (see Luther and the Markt Church). Handel studied the organ and violin, harmony and composition. In 1702, when he was seventeen, he took his first position as organist at the Halle Cathedral and enrolled at the newly founded university. A year later, at 18, Handel left Halle and moved to Hamburg, to join the opera house orchestra, to play violin and harpsichord. In Hamburg he began composing and conducting. He met Ferdinando de' Medici in Hamburg heir of the Grand Duke of Tuscany who invited him to Italy. He composed his Italian works while employed as palace musician for Francesco Ruspoli.
After a few years in Italy, he returned to Germany, to Hanover as Kapellmeister at the court of the Elector George Louis. When the German Elector of the House of Hanover became King George I of England, Handel settled permanently as Royal Chapel Composer. He returned to Germany from time to time, but lived in England for the next 50 years, buried at Westminster Abbey (see Westminster Abbey London). He left behind more than 600 compositions, including over 100 Italian cantatas and chamber duets, over 40 major operas, 30 oratorios, serenades and odes, as well as a large number of instrumental works.
Handel House History
There was some debate over which was the right house where Handel lived in establishing a museum. Located in the heart of the old medieval city, the oldest walls date back to the 12th century and the ancient foundations can be seen below. The house, known as the Zum Gelbe Hirshe “To The Yellow Stag”, had a few owners for a hundred years before the Handels. It was first mentioned in 1558 as belonging to the Nopel family. It gained the yellow stag name then Duke Georg Bley acquired it in 1630 and used part for a wine cellar collection. The composer’s father. Georg Händel, bought it for 1,310 guilders in 1666.The father died in 1697, leaving the house to his widow and children and young Georg would leave in 1703. By 1783 the house was sold at public auction for taxes, bought by a merchant.
Music Museum
The present exhibition was opened in 2009 on the 250th anniversary of Handel’s death. "Handel - The European", is presented in the exhibition space over two floors, telling the story of Handel's busy life, from his youth in Halle, his years of "wandering apprenticeship" in Hamburg and Italy, and as a master of his craft in England. Using state-of-the-art sound technology and multimedia techniques, the exhibition traces Handel's evolution from provincial Central Germany one of the most famous musicians of his time. Special highlights include a miniature Baroque theatre where visitors can view Handel's works for the stage, and the "treasure chamber" showing valuable manuscripts and first editions.
The collection of historical musical instruments began in the 1930s to grow into one of the most important in Central Germany. Among other themes, visitors can see how the pianoforte developed from its beginnings to the modern piano. But valuable examples of other types of instrument and numerous curiosities are on display. Of particular special attraction are a Ruckers harpsichord from 1599, and the Mauer Church organ from 1770.
Events and Concerts at Handel House
The Handel House has a chamber music room, a glass hall which is especially well-suited to vocal music, two idyllic inner courtyards for outdoor events and a Romanesque vaulted room dating from the 13th century. Events and performance, primarily of Baraoque era music, are held thoughout the year, often played on period instruments from the collection, along with lectures and readings. You can find what’s on the schedule from the website.
Handel Festival
The Handel Festival, held in late May, has been a tradition in Halle since 1922. The Handel Festival Orchestra Halle first distinguished itself as a Baroque ensemble performing on period instruments for accompanying Handel operas in 1993. The Festival events are held in the historical Handel related venues, including the Cathedral, the Marktkirche, the Handel House, and the Goethe Theater in nearby Bad Lauchstadt. http://www.handel-festival.com/en/
Visiting Handel House Halle
Open hours 10 am to 6 pm April to October, 10 am tp 5 pm November to March, Closed Mondays. On days of Concerts in the Music in Handel House series, the museum is open until 6 pm. Concert Tickets include museum admission. Admission prices: €4 Adult, €2.50 Reduced (Students, Youth), Family Ticket €9, Children under 6 free. The museum shop offers a great variety of souvenirs and memorabilia on Handel and his birthplace city of Halle an der Saale. © Bargain Travel Europe
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Handel House Halle
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See Also:
HALLOREN CHOCOLATE MUSEUM - HALLE
