1685 was a very good year for German
composers. Within the space of a month, two of the greatest were born: Johann
Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel.
Handel’s father was a barber and surgeon,
which sounds like a strange combination today, but back then those occupations
went hand in hand. Even though Handel was very interested in music, his father
didn’t think that was a good way to earn a living, so he wanted his son to be a
lawyer. The story goes that Handel smuggled a quiet piano into the house
so that he could practice in secret.
One day, Handel went along when his father
went to shave a duke. While his father was working, Handel sat down and played
the duke’s organ. The duke was so impressed that he convinced Handel’s father
to let his son study music, and Handel finally got to learn how to compose.
Handel soon discovered that what he liked
most was opera. In fact, he was so passionate about opera that he even fought a
duel (决斗) over it
with one of his friends. Since Italy was the place to learn about opera
composing, Handel went off to Italy to study. When he got home, he got a job as
court composer for a German prince.
Having landed such a wonderful job, Handel
immediately asked his boss for time off. He wanted to go to England, where he’d
heard that there weren’t nearly enough composers to satisfy the British taste
for Italian opera.
After great success writing opera in
London, Handel came back to Germany. Then fate played a funny trick on Handel
and his boss. The Queen of England died, and it just so happened that the
prince Handel worked for was next in line to the British throne. When he
arrived in London as King George, followed Handel, his court composer in
Germany.
In addition to serving the King, Handel
became one of the most successful opera composers of his time. And he also
produced them and traveled all over Europe to hire the best singers. There are
stories of battles with rival opera producers and of fights between rival
singers. Handel apparently had quite a temper.
If you ever go to London, look for Handel’s
grave in Westminster Abbey, where there’s a wonderful monument to him.
1.How did Handel begin to learn to compose?
3. Why did Handel later settle down in
Britain instead of Germany?
4.Which of the following words can NOT be
used to describe Handel, as shown in the passage?
5. Which of the following statements is
WRONG according to the passage?