Handel House (German: ''Händel-Haus'') is a cultural site in Halle in

Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt ( ; ) is a States of Germany, state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of and has a population of 2.17 million inhabitants, making it the List of German states ...

, Germany. The composer

George Frideric Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel ( ; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well-known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concerti. Born in Halle, Germany, H ...

was born here in 1685; it is now a museum, and houses a collection relating to the composer and to the musical history of Halle.

History

The house, which may date back to the 15th century, has its earliest documented mention in 1558. It was purchased in 1666 by

Georg Händel Georg Händel (; Halle, Archbishopric of Magdeburg, 24 September 1622 – Halle, Duchy of Magdeburg, 11 February 1697) was a barber-surgeon and the father of Georg Frideric Handel. Parents and early life Händel's father, Valentin Händ ...

, ducal valet and surgeon. His son

was born here on 23 February 1685, and lived here until 1703, when he moved to

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

."Die Chronik des Händel-Hauses"
Händel-Haus. Version of 10 August 2020 retrieved via Wayback Machine. The house remained in the family until 1783, after which time, until 1937, it was owned by a succession of merchants. In 1922 ''Hallische Händel-Verein'' (Handel Society of Halle), and also

Newman Flower Sir Walter Newman Flower (8 July 1879 – 12 March 1964) was an English publisher and author. He transformed the fortunes of the publishing house Cassell & Co, and later became its proprietor. As an author, he published studies of the composers G ...

, an English writer about Handel, endeavoured to purchase it, but were not successful. In 1937 it was purchased by the City of Halle, and was opened as a music museum in 1948. In 1985, the 300th anniversary of the composer's birth, the museum was extended by including neighbouring historical buildings. In 2003 the Handel House was included in the list of cultural heritage sites in the ''

Blaubuch The ''Blaubuch'' ('Blue Book') is an inventory of "cultural lighthouses": culturally important sites in the eastern ''Länder'' of Germany. It was first published in 2001, as an evaluation study proposed by the then Secretary of Culture of the Ger ...

'' (Blue Book) of the federal government. A private foundation, ''Stiftung Händel-Haus'', was established in 2008.

Collections

There is a collection of about 700 musical instruments, not only of the Baroque period. There is also a collection of documents (about 1000 items); pictures, relating to Handel and his time, and to the musical history of Halle; books, including first editions of works by Handel and by other composers of Halle; and other musical items."Die Sammlungen"
Händel-Haus. Version dated 19 April 2021 retrieved via Wayback Machine.

References

External links

* {{authority control Biographical museums in Germany Music museums in Germany Museums in Saxony-Anhalt George Frideric Handel Birthplaces of individual people

History

Collections

See also

References

External links