George Frideric Handel (23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German–English Baroque composer who is famous for his operas, oratorios and concerti grossi. Handel's compositions include 42 operas; 29 oratorios; more than 120 cantatas, trios and duets; numerous arias; chamber music; a large number of ecumenical pieces; odes and serenatas; and 16 organ concerti. His oratorio Messiah, with its "Hallelujah" chorus, is among the most famous Baroque works and is a popular choice for performances during the Christmas season. Among Handel's best-known instrumental works are the Concerti Grossi Opus 3 and 6; "The Cuckoo and the Nightingale", in which birds are heard calling during passages played in different keys representing the vocal ranges of two birds; and his 16 keyboard suites, especially The Harmonious Blacksmith.
Collected editions of Handel's works include the Händel-Gesellschaft (HG) and the Hallische Händel-Ausgabe (HHA), however the more recent Händel-Werke-Verzeichnis (HWV) publication is now commonly used to number his works. For example, Handel's Messiah can be referred to as: HG xlv, HHA i/17, or HWV 56. Some of Handel's music is also numbered based on initial publications, for example a 1741 publication by Walsh labelled twelve of Handel's concerti grossi as Opus 6.