George Friedrich Handel remains one of the unchallenged geniuses of musical history. Yet many revealing and fascinating aspects of his work have been obscured by generations of adulation, prejudice or misinterpretation. In this book, Christopher Hogwood takes us back to the original Handel.

The result is a comprehensive and entertaining portrait of the developing character and career of Handel from his early years in Halle and Hamburg, through his apprenticeship in Italy, to the heyday of opera and oratorio in London.

An important chapter, 'Handel and Posterity', traces the progress of the Handel legend down to our own time, and a chronological table by Anthony Hicks outlines major events in the composer's life and musical career. In this revised edition, Christopher Hogwood has added a detailed analysis of new insights into Handel since first publication.