Handel was a millionaire

Interesting facts about George Handel next: Handel was a millionaire. George Frideric Handel, a German-born Baroque composer, died with an inflation-adjusted net worth of $20 million. Handel's works include operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti Grossi, and organ concertos. Despite occasional setbacks, Handel's musical career was lucrative, and he supplemented his income with opportunistic investments. Handel, like many other intellectuals in London at the time, including Alexander Pope and Isaac Newton, invested in the South Sea Company, which was at the heart of one of the world's earliest and most devastating financial manias.

Unlike most of his contemporaries, Handel arrived early and left early. According to Harris, he purchased no later than 1716, well before the price skyrocketed, and appears to have sold by the middle of 1719, at least one year before the bubble burst. And once out, Handel stayed out; he didn't return to the stock market until 1728, long after the mania had passed. Harris estimates that Handel's South Sea bet nearly doubled his money, netting him a profit of around 15,000 pounds in today's money.

Handel died on Holy Saturday, 1759, in his London apartment, leaving behind a fortune worth several million euros. During his most prosperous period, Handel wisely invested his fortune. Because Handel was such a wealthy and esteemed Londoner, it is not surprising that his funeral drew a large crowd: 3000 mourners are said to have attended. Nonetheless, Handel had requested a quiet burial. This wish was denied. Handel was laid to rest in Westminster Abbey in London.