Georg Friedrich Handel's Romances
German Composer's Alleged Love Affairs with Victoria Tesi and Others
Several great composers remained unmarried, among them Frederic Chopin, Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Schubert. Georg Friedrich Handel (born at Halle , Germany, February 23rd, 1685), also remained a single man, although, according to legend, he had many opportunities to marry. He was only in his teens in 1703 when he travelled from Hamburg to Lubeck with his friend Johann Mattheson, who was seeking a position as organist there. The great Dietrich Buxtehude was aging and a successor was being sought. While the two young musicians enjoyed trying the instruments neither was interested in taking the post because one of the conditions was marriage with the organist's daughter.
Italy
During a trip to Italy it was said that Handel became enamoured with the singer Victoria Tesi, and an engagement was in offing. Tesi was born in Florence in 1700 and died in Vienna in 1775. She was a noted operatic contralto whos voice was said to have had a 'masculine sonority and her acting was full of dramatic fire.' However nothing ever came of this alleged 'romance' and Handel went his merry way still unattached.
England
Handel spent many years in England and apparently was almost married twice. One of his romances was quashed when the girl's mother refused to allow her daughter to marry a 'mere fiddler.' Although he was refused it did not seem to upset him for any length of time. When the girl's mother died a short while later, the father clamed to have no objections to having the marriage take place. But by this time Handel was no longer interested and the proposed match never took place.
The other 'romance' he was said to have had in England was one with a lady of wealth and a high position in London society. Her one stipulation was that he was to give up his profession upon marriage. Handel refused to pursue the matter further, and went on with his composing, turning out suites, oratorios, operas and other works in his bachelor freedom. Whether he was really interested in these women is open to conjecture, as is the question of his sexual orientation.
Handel was occupied with operatic interests from 1720 to 1737, in which year he suffered a slight stroke. He had lost almost all his savings from his own opera company which was ruined because of intense rivalry and competition with other musical factions. He died on April 14th, 1759, in London.
Source
Woman's Work in Music, Arthur Elson, L.C.Page & Company, Boston, 1903.
Georg Friedrich Handel
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Handel's House in London
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