Handel suffered a stroke

In the latter stages of his life, Handel composed some of his most important and best works. That may not sound particularly impressive, but he did have a stroke in 1737, was involved in a coach crash in 1750 and developed cataracts, and eventually went blind after a botched eye operation in 1751. Handel suffered a stroke at the age of 52, which resulted in both temporary paralysis of his right arm (he was right-handed) and some loss of mental abilities, preventing him from performing.

Nobody expected Handel to perform again, so his quick recovery was regarded as a miracle. Handel had traveled to Aachen, a spa in Germany, to recover faster. During his six-week stay, he diligently took long hot baths and ended up playing the organ in front of a surprised audience.

Although there is no definitive proof, it appears that Georg Friedrich Handel had cerebrovascular disease, which caused two or three minor strokes and vision loss in his final years. Primary sources present and evaluate his etiologically significant risk factors and the symptoms of Handel's strokes; various diagnoses are discussed. There is no direct impact of Handel's illness on his musical work, but there are some indirect outflows of Handel's pathography on his compositions, particularly the Messiah.