The Businessman Who Created The Soundtrack To The British Enlightenment

by Marco

Music, before the 18th century, wasn't a suitable career for an ambitious individual.

The appearance of new instruments, printed music sheets and new styles, after the Renaissance, made commissioning music popular among the aristocratic classes. However, artists still had to rely on the direct financial support of patrons, wealthy individuals from commerce, church or nobility. They had to move from place to place, from sponsor to sponsor in search of commissions, often struggling to make a living and competing for every piece of work. A famous example is Johann Sebastian Bach who spent most of his life in Leipzig employed as musical director writing music for the city's Lutheran churches. He lived an economically stable life but his great talent was never widely recognised in his lifetime. Despite his numerous compositions, he ended up being known mainly as a great organ player.

Another musician, contemporary of Bach, in fact born in the same year and just under 100 miles away, led a radically different life. He too was a talented musician, he too worked for various wealthy patrons but unlike Bach, he was a fiercely independent soul who, from his early career, refused to trade his own creative spirit for the pursuit of financial stability. His name was George Frideric Handel.