BIOGRAPHIC DETAILS: HAMBURG

1703

Early in the year, but not before April, Handel left Halle and went to Hamburg. He was organist, then harpsichordist at the opera in Gänsemarkt and gave music lessons. Apparently he composed mostly chamber music. It is possible that Handel's six trio sonatas (HWV 380-385) written for two oboes and basso continuo were composed here or perhaps in Halle under the influence of Michael and Johann Georg Hyntzsch and their oboe ensemble. Since Burney, they have been dated between 1694 and approx. 1696.

9 July: Handel meets Johann Mattheson in the organ gallery of Hamburg's Magdelena Church.

17 August: Handel and Mattheson travel to Lübeck to Dietrich Buxtehude who had been organist at St. Mary's Church since 1668 (cf. Mattheson, Ehrenpforte, p. 94).

1704

17 February: Performance of St. John's Passion on Good Friday in Hamburg. For questions on the authenticity of this work cf. E. D. Rendall, K. G. Fellerer, W. Braun and H. J. Marx.

18 March: Letter to Johann Mattheson.

5 December: Duel between Handel and Mattheson in front of the theatre in Gänsemarkt. This was caused by Handel's refusal to vacate his place at the harpsichord after Mattheson's appearance on the stage during a performance of Mattheson's  "Cleopatra"

30 December: After their reconciliation Mattheson and Handel go together to a rehearsal of Handel's first opera "Almira".

1705

8 January: First performance of Handel's "Almira" (HWV 1) in the theatre in Gänsemarkt, Hamburg. About 20 performances.
Further performances: Hamburg, 7 February 1732 with perhaps only one repeat. (Deutsch, p. 281).

25 February: Performance in Hamburg of Handel's second opera "Nero" (HWV 2). The score is lost and nothing is known about the cast. Repeat performances 26 and perhaps 27 February 1705.