Can you recognize Handel by ear?
George Frideric Handel (1685–1759) was a German-born British Baroque composer, known for Messiah, Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks. In Guess the Composer, you hear up to 30 seconds of music and name the composer.
How to recognize Handel
Listen for broad, ceremonial choruses and open, singable tunes, with simpler textures than Bach's. Grand dotted rhythms and theatrical writing for voices point to a composer who spent decades in the opera house.
Who can Handel be mistaken for?
Listeners may confuse this music with that of Johann Sebastian Bach, Antonio Vivaldi or Henry Purcell.
How hard is Handel in the game?
The game has up to 174 excerpts by Handel, depending on your country, and most are at the Very hard level.
Pieces you may hear
- Solomon, HWV 67: Act III
- The Four Coronation Anthems: “Zadok the Priest”, HWV 258
- Water Music Suite no. 1 in F major, HWV 348
- Water Music Suite no. 2 in D major, HWV 349
- Messiah, HWV 56: Part I
- Music for the Royal Fireworks, HWV 351
- Water Music Suite no. 3 in G major, HWV 350
- Acis and Galatea, HWV 49: Act II
Portrait: Attributed to Balthasar Denner, Public domain; background removed.
