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Why did George Frideric Handel stop composing Italian operas?
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George Frideric Handel
George Frideric Handel, oil on canvas by Thomas Hudson, c. 1736; in the Foundling Museum, London.
George Frideric Handel did not stop composing Italian operas abruptly; rather, he gradually shifted his focus toward oratorios as the popularity of Italian opera declined in London.12
Several factors contributed to this transition:
- Changing Public Taste: London audiences grew impatient with Italian opera, which was performed in a foreign language by artists whose morals were often viewed with disapproval.2
- Satire and Competition: The 1728 production of The Beggarâs Opera, which satirized highbrow opera, became a massive success and accustomed audiences to staged plays sung in English.12
- Financial Struggles: Handel faced intense competition from rival opera companies in a city that struggled to support even one Italian opera house. His own company eventually went bankrupt in 1737.12
- New Audience Appeal: Oratorios, set to English biblical texts, resonated with the middle-class Protestant sensibilities of the time. These works provided moral edification, which proved more popular and sustainable for the composer than the increasingly uncertain Italian operatic market.12
Handel continued to write operas until 1741, by which time he had composed more than 40 such works.2