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George Frideric Handel - Famous Works

Baroque painting illustrating musical life in Handel’s era, symbolizing the style and spirit of his works.
Johann Georg Platzer’s painting captures the vibrant atmosphere of Baroque musical life, the cultural world in which Handel flourished.

George Frideric Handel (1685–1759) was one of the leading composers of the Baroque era and a central figure in the musical life of 18th-century Europe. His career spanned several national traditions—German, Italian, and English—and his music is distinguished by dramatic vitality, grand choral writing, and a clear, architecturally balanced style.

Handel composed across a wide range of genres, including opera, oratorio, orchestral suites, concerti grossi, and chamber music. His works remain foundational to the Baroque repertoire. The following is a representative selection of his most significant compositions.

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Orchestral Works:

  • Water Music, HWV 348–350
  • Music for the Royal Fireworks in D Major, HWV 351
  • Concerti Grossi, Op. 6 (HWV 319–330)
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Oratorios:

  • Acis and Galatea, HWV 49
  • Athalia, HWV 52
  • Alexander’s Feast, HWV 75
  • Saul, HWV 53
  • Israel in Egypt, HWV 54
  • Messiah, HWV 56
  • Samson, HWV 57
  • Semele, HWV 58
  • Belshazzar, HWV 61
  • Judas Maccabaeus, HWV 63
  • Solomon, HWV 67
  • Jephtha, HWV 70
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Concertos:

  • Organ Concerto No. 13 in F Major, HWV 295, ("The Cuckoo and the Nightingale")
  • Organ Concerto No. 14 in A Major
  • Oboe Concerto No. 3 in G minor
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Chamber music:

  • Two oboe sonatas
  • Twelve flute sonatas
  • Six Concerti Grossi for strings, woodwinds and continuo, Opus 3
  • Six organ sonatas, Opus 4
  • Seven Trio Sonatas, Opus 5
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Operas:

  • Almira (1705)   
  • Rodrigo (1707)  
  • Rinaldo (1711)
  • Giulio Cesare in Egitto (Ιούλιος Καίσαρ) (1724)
  • Rodelinda (1725)
  • Orlando (1733)
  • Ariodante (1735)
  • Alcina (1735)
  • Serse (Ξέρξης) (1738)
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