Handel began writing keyboard pieces in his teens while working in Hamburg around 1703. His early suites show strong German and Italian influence, later refined during his years in Italy, where he absorbed the brilliance of Corelli and Scarlatti. After settling in London in 1712, he published his famous Eight Great Suites in 1720 to assert his skill as a composer and performer, rivaling the works of Bach and Couperin. By the 1730s, he turned toward the organ, writing dazzling concertos to perfor