Handel Lived Upstairs

One thing that we lack in North America is history. As Canada is only 146 years old, there isn’t much to talk about when it comes to the history of our country. Being in Europe, I have really appreciated their rich history that dates back to even before the time of Jesus.

In England, they have a lot of music in their history. They have saved many old instruments dating back to the 1700’s. While I was in Oxford they had the Bates Collection of Musical Instrument which carried a variety of instruments, some dating back to the 1600’s. 

funky F holes

 Then there was this...

And in London, I visited the Royal Academy of Music which has a museum with string instruments and pianos. 

They had two Stradivari violins and an Amati violin

The "Kustendyke" violin

The "Maurin" Violin

 They also had some beautiful spinets and harpsichords as well as a late century Steinway.

woah...the pedals!

One of the most important composers to the UK was George Frederic Handel, who was German, but spent most of his composing life in England. I spent my last day in London walking in his footsteps.

The house he lived in for 36 years until his death has been turned into a museum dedicated to his life.

Unfortunately, I was not allowed to take pictures, but they’ve basically made it to look as it would have appeared when Handel was living there. With his bedroom and dressing room on the top floor and the composition and rehearsal rooms on the lower. It was absolutely inspiring. I was standing in the composition room, staring in awe with tears in my eyes, at the space where he composed his final pieces, like the Messiah and his Water Music. The info lady (is that even a title) for the room said to me “you must be a big Handel fan.”

While I love Handel, I would never call myself a huge fan. But I have such respect for him as a composer. His music is so beautiful and his apparent respect for God so strong, how could one not love this man.

Earlier in the week, my cousin took us to a concert at Saint Martin-in-the-Fields Church. They played pieces by Handel, Elgar, and Britten. They performed a few arias by Handel, including the famous one, Ombra mai fu. The conductor, Ivor Setterfield, sang the part in an incredibly sweet counter-tenor voice that I’m certain that half the audience was in tears (or maybe it was just me…)

After my visit in his home, I walked down the path Handel would have taken to go to church at Saint George Church.

 It is a lovely church. Nothing big, but very nice. The main feature was the organ. I’m not sure if it’s the original, but one can just imagine Handel up in the loft, playing his compositions.

I also visited Westminster Abbey.

It’s where all the kings and queens of Great Britain have been crowned, and if you bothered to watch, you would have seen it when Prince William and Princess Kate were married.

I took this picture myself ;)

It is also where Handel was buried in 1759. I’m starting to wonder if I have a problem with my tear ducts or something, but I did cry. There’s just something very tangible about seeing the grave of a beloved composer. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t know Handel’s famous Hallelujah chorus and I’ve heard audio dramas and watched videos about his life. I’ve performed the Water Suite in an orchestra, and I’ve played some of his harpsichord suites. I have literally grown up knowing his music and to see his grave and realise I am standing less than a few feet from his body, it’s so utterly humbling.

The more time I spend in Europe, the more I find that there is a stronger appreciation for music here. Perhaps it is because they have grown up in the actual cities of these composers.