Why Is Handel Important In French

Music and drama were heavily favored by the French nobles, especially King Louis XIV. This was because the music composed there was meant to express royal taste. In the seventeenth century, France already had their own established form of entertainment: the ballet. Ballet is what was usually played in their theatres and later it was commonly played in gardens because they preferred outdoor spectacles (Borroff 287). So when two attempts in 1645 and 1660 were made to import Italian opera into France, the French were not too pleased. Francesco Cavalli was the composer who made the second and last attempt to bring opera to France (Holden 189). From 1660 to 1662, he presented two operas in Paris, which inevitably failed. Although France did not

Handel was born in Germany and grew up to be advanced and skilled at all types of instruments. When Handel was a young boy, he particularly excelled at the organ. On a trip with his father, he played the organ for the duke in Weissenfels. The duke was so impressed with his performance that he recommended an organist, Friedrich Wilhelm Zachow, to teach him lessons. Handel’s father wanted him to take a different route and study law, but his strong love for music would not be crushed. Instead, he continued to follow his musical endeavors, and passed on the musical techniques he learned from Zachow to other musicians. Later in his life, Handel took a particular interest in Italian opera, and he composed his first two operas, Almira and Nero, when he was twenty (“George Handel.”

He was influenced by the two greats, Johann Sebastian Bach, and of course, Handel. Moreover, he along with his friend, Joseph Haydn greatly influenced Ludwig Von Beethoven. Mozart was born in Austria and was a child prodigy. At the age of four, he already began creating compositions, and at the age of nine, he wrote his first symphony (Coffin 622). Mozart’s father would take him on trips through Italy and other countries to perform for the courts of Europe. But once he was no longer a child prodigy, he was employed by the court of Salzburg (Solomon 106). Time passed until he was unsatisfied with his low salary and the restriction to compose many operas. Mozart moved out and sought to do what he truly wanted to