Georg Friedrich Händel, also known as George Frideric Handel, was one of the most influential composers of the late Baroque era. He was born on February 23, 1685, in Halle, a city in the Duchy of Magdeburg, which was part of the Holy Roman Empire. He was the son of a barber-surgeon who served at the courts of Saxony-Weissenfels and Brandenburg. Händel showed a remarkable talent for music from an early age, but his father wanted him to study law instead. However, Händel managed to pursue his musical education with the help of his mother and his mentor Friedrich W. Zachow, a composer and organist in Halle.