German-born English composer of the late Baroque era, noted particularly for his operas, oratorios, and instrumental compositions. He wrote the most famous of all oratorios, the Messiah (1741), and is also known for such occasional pieces as Water Music (1717) and Music for the Royal Fireworks (1749). In England, Handel was accorded the status of a classic composer even in his own lifetime, and he is perhaps unique among musicians in never having suffered any diminution of his reputation there since. When in Europe, he had to some extent supplied the demands of aristocratic patronage, but in England he adapted himself to a different climate of opinion and came to serve and express the needs of a wider public.

More than anyone else, he democratised music, and in this respect his popular oratorios, his songs, and his best-loved instrumental works have a social significance that complements their purely musical importance. Handel's music became an indispensable part of England's national culture. In Germany, meanwhile, interest in his music grew apace in the late 18th century and re-established him as a German composer of the first rank.