... But Handel’s harmony affects the soul,
To sooth by sweetness, or by force controul;
And with like sounds as tune the rolling spheres,
So tunes the mind, that ev’ry sense has ears.
When jaundice jealousy, and carking care,
Or tyrant pride, or homicide despair,
The soul as on a rack in torture keep,
Those monsters Handel’s music lulls to sleep.

an anonymous poem in The Gentleman's Magazine (May 1740)

This website is the responsibility of David Vickers and Matthew Gardner, with support from The Handel Institute. It was designed with assistance from Duncan Fielden.