Handel as a child playing harpsichord late at night; discovered by surprised members of his family. George Frideric Handel (March 5, 1685 - April 14, 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer, famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos. He received critical musical training in Halle, Hamburg and Italy before settling in London (1712) and becoming a naturalized British subject in 1727. He was strongly influenced by the great composers of the Italian Baroque and the middle-German polyphonic choral tradition. Handel, a dramatic genius, started three commercial opera companies to supply the English nobility with Italian opera. Handel is regarded as one of the greatest composers of all time. He composed forty operas and many are considered masterpieces, with sweeping arias, remarkable human characterization, and improvisations. He died in 1759 at the age of 74. The last performance he attended was of Messiah. He was buried in Westminster Abbey. After Handel's death, many composers wrote works based on or inspired by his music. Reproduction of painting by Margaret Dicksee.