Painted portrait of George Frideric Handel in his early forties, full curled white wig, white cravat and olive-brown coat, against a warm umber ground

Portraits · Composers · XVII of XVII

George Frideric Handel

1685–1759 · Composer

My Lord, I should be sorry if I only entertained them; I wish to make them better.

Some days after the first exhibition of the same divine oratorio, Mr Handel came to pay his respects to Lord Kinnoul, with whom he was particularly acquainted. His Lordship, as was natural, paid him some compliments on the noble entertainment which he had lately given the town. "My Lord," said Handel, "I should be sorry if I only entertained them; I wish to make them better." These two anecdotes I had from Lord Kinnoul himself.

George Frideric Handel · as told by Lord Kinnoull to James Beattie, 1780
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Some days after Messiah was first performed, Lord Kinnoull complimented George Frideric Handel on the "noble entertainment" he had given the town. This was the reply.

Kinnoull told the story to the Scottish poet James Beattie, who wrote it down in a letter of 1780. Handel had finished the score in September 1741.

James Beattie to the Rev. Dr Laing, Aberdeen, 25 May 1780 (Letter CXLVI). Sir William Forbes, An Account of the Life and Writings of James Beattie, vol. II (Edinburgh: Constable, 1806), p. 80.

The originals

Oil portrait of George Frideric Handel in his early forties, a full curled white wig, a long white cravat and an olive-brown silk coat, a faint smile
The likenessATTRIBUTED TO BALTHASAR DENNER · C. 1726–28Our portrait is painted after it.Public domain (Denner died 1749; faithful reproduction of a 2D work, PD-Art). National Portrait Gallery, London, NPG 1976; Wikimedia Commons. The attribution to Denner is the NPG's 'attributed to'. Crop removes the painted oval surround.
A crowded handwritten score page of the Amen chorus in brown ink, with Handel's inscription Fine dell' Oratorio, G. F. Handel, September 12, 1741 along the bottom
Messiah · Amen, 1741The last page of his Messiah score, signed "Fine dell' Oratorio. G. F. Handel. Septemb. 12. 1741." Below he noted he finished filling it out on the 14th.Autograph score of Messiah, 1741, British Library, London. Public domain, Wikimedia Commons.