Handel House Museum

Salutes: Handel Hous e M useum

The House in Handel’s Time

The London Daily Post and General Composing FArdovmertiser , Monday, January 9, 1743 Handel composed some of his most Mr. HANDEL proposes to perform, famous works in the house. This little Handel’s House Today by SUBSCRIPTION, twelve times room with its strong morning light is during next Lent, and engages to thought to have been his study: play two New Performances (and some of his former Oratorios if Handel House Museum time will permit.) occupies the building at 25 Brook Street in Each subscriber is to pay Four London where George Guineas at the Time he subscribes Frideric Handel made which entitles him to one Box his home from 1723 Ticket for each Performance … until his death in 1759. Those Gentlemen and Ladies who have already favoured Mr. Handel The museum works closely with other galleries, in the Subscription are desired to Some of the works composed here were: museums and private collectors to help tell the send for their Tickets, at his House • 30 operas, including story of Handel to the general public. The in Brook-street, where Attendance Rodelinda, Ariodante and Alcina interiors are a scholarly restoration of the rooms will be given every Day (Sunday as Handel would have known them. excepted) from Nine o’Clock in the • 25 oratorios, including Israel in Morning until Three in the Afternoon. Egypt, Messiah, Semele and Hercules • Coronation Anthems • Concerti grossi Opus 6 • Music for the Royal Fireworks Handel was the first tenant of the townhouse in Mayfair, a new London Rehearsing subdivision with wide streets and large public squares. He paid 60 pounds per annum in rent; as a foreign national, he From 1734, Handel shared Covent Garden was forbidden from owning property. with acting companies and had limited

Photo by Stuart Leech © The Handel House Trust Ltd The Westminster Poor Rate Book rehearsal time in the theatre. He held (record preliminary rehearsals with singers and of property taxation for the benefit of the The museum organizes a lively series of concerts, instrumentalists in his music room at home. poor) shows that the Brook Street house lectures, storytelling events and interactive was newly built but as yet unoccupied on activities for children, and hosts all levels of The Estate Inventory lists green July 3, 1723. silk curtains for all the principal school groups. The Westminster Commissioner of rooms of the house except for this Sewers Rate Book one. The reason may have been Handel House has worked closely shows that Handel had acoustical – curtains and rugs soak with the RNIB to develop special moved in by August 8. up sound and make voices and programming specifically designed The kitchens were in the basement. instruments seem less resonant. for blind or partially sighted visitors in Handel’s remembrance of Handel’s own blindness. EKsittcahteenInevqeuniptomryent listed in from August 27, 1759 shows that Handel was able to entertain many guests. The Handel House Composer-in-Residence The Estate Inventory also describes Scheme uses the talents of composers to engage Handel’s red canopied bed in the front with Handel’s music and his house in new and room on the third floor: innovative ways, creating new works inspired by different aspects of Handel’s music. One of the recent projects was: Graininess and Sheen by Kerry Andrew, Marco Ricci depicts a London opera using improvisations on the three keyboards in rehearsal in the early part of the 18th Handel’s house, recordings of creaking century. The woman in brown is the floorboards and other sounds made by the house, singer Catherine Tofts, who later married and interviews with museum volunteers. Listen to a podcast of this wonderful work Consul Joseph Smith, anHd oliuvseedowf iDthrehaims by Kerry Andrew and find out more in the Venice palazzo of . information about visiting the museum on the Handel House website There was a fine collection of 80 paintings and 64 engravings in the house. It is not possible to know what the exact paintings were, but they were described in detail in the catalogue of Handel’s estate auction at the London firm of Abraham Langford. Earlier catalogues from 1749 and 1750 identify six paintings bought by Handel, including a large landscape by Rembrandt for which he paid 29p 18s . Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection Did you know... Jimi Hendrix lived next door! For a with the decor of Jimmy Hendrix’s time. brief period in the late 1960s Jimi Hendrix Learning that Handel used to live next lived in a flat at 23 Brook Street. The door, Hendrix went to One Stop Record offices of Handel House Museum now Shop inMSeosustihah MoltoWn aStterereMt aunsdic bought Photos by Andy Lepki with kind permission of the Handel House Museum occupy this space, which has been restored LPs of and .