Baroque is a period of artistic style that used exaggerated movement. The music, art, and sculptures of the Baroque period showed detail to create drama and tension. The style began around 1600 in Rome, Italy. Due to its popularity, it quickly spread and flourished throughout Europe. The Baroque style was popular and successful in many churches. It was so popular in churches that the Roman Catholic Church required arts to depict religious themes. Tonality was seen in the Baroque era. During this period, composers modified musical notation and developed different playing techniques for their instruments. The size, scope, and complexity of instrumental performance expanded during the Baroque period. This expansion made opera, cantata, oratorio, concerto and sonata musical genres. Many musical terms and ideas from the Baroque period are still used today. Many artists and composers are also still famous today for their work. One of these many famous for their work during the Baroque period is the composer George Frederic Handel. George Frederick Handel was born on February 23, 1685, in Handel of Halle, Saxony, Germany, to Georg and Dorothea Handel. From a young age, Handel became fascinated with music. His father, however, is against it, believing that music is a real career and that his son will not earn money. His father would not allow him to own a musical instrument either. His mother believed he had talent and she supported and encouraged him. Handel took music lessons with the help of his mother without his father's knowledge. When Handel was seven years old, he was asked to play the organ at the court of the Duke of Weissenfels. Handel met the composer and organist Friedrich Wilhelm Zachow at the duke's court. ...... middle of paper ......blin, The Messiah. Many of his oratorios expressed religious themes. Among his other oratorios are Semele (1744), Joseph and His Brothers (1744), Hercules (1745), Belshazzar (1745), Occasional Oratorio (1746), Judas Maccabeus (1747), Joshua (1748), Alexander Balus (1748) , Susanna (1749), Solomon (1749), Theodora (1750), The Choice of Hercules (1751), Jeptha (1752) and The Triumph of Time and Truth (1757). Handel continued to compose oratorios for the rest of his life and career. The Baroque period was a time for new types of music and arts. George Frederic Handel worked hard to succeed. He made his debut as an opera composer with Almira. He changed his way of composing and began to compose oratorios, including his most famous The Messiah. George Handel died on April 14, 1759 in London, England, but his famous works are still alive in today's music..