Although borrowing was not unusual in Handel's time, no other leading composer of the period is known to have borrowed on the same scale as Handel, so that the practice of the time does not fully explain why Handel borrowed. Nor do any of the more personal explanations offered in the past prove very satisfactory. Rather, it appears that Handel "had a basic lack of facility in inventing original ideas," writing melodies, and attaining fluency in the operatic style. These speculations do not diminish Handel's stature, and he deserves to be judged solely by the effects he achieves.

Index Classifications: 1700s

Contributed by: Wendy Jeanne McHenry