Courting Gentility: Handel at the Bank of England

Abstract

Perhaps one of the most surprising events of the 250th anniversary year of Handel’s death, in both its content and method of delivery, occurred on a BBC Radio 3 program devoted to the composer’s investments: John Keyworth, Curator of the Museum of the Bank of England, revealed that Handel had opened his first South Sea Annuities account in 1723, five years earlier than previously known.1 The discovery of this early investment activity offers important new information about Handel’s investment practices and their financial outcomes. Further, renewed examination of the records at the Bank of England has permitted a better understanding of the importance of signed transfer forms as biographical documents. In publishing this material, I follow the plan of my earlier article, “Handel the Investor” (Music & Letters 83 [2004], 521-575) in providing a full diplomatic transcription of the account in Appendix I and a list of the people with whom Handel had transactions in Appendix II.