From this time a violent rivalry was maintained between Handel and Bononcini. The king particularly supported with his countenance his early Hanover favourite, and the great duke of Marlborough was the ardent partisan of Bononcini. The world of fashion divided itself into two factions under these dignified leaders, and the contest rose to the importance of a political question; for it became a point of party principle for the tories to uphold the merits of one musician, while the whigs vindicated those of the other. The opera of "Ottone" was produced in January, 1723, and "Giulio Cesare" and "Flavio" followed it in the same year. "Tamerlano" was Handel's sole production in 1724, and 1725 gave his "Rodelinda" to the public.
In 1725 Handel took the house in Brook Street, which was his residence for the rest of his life. The course of Handel's Italian opera successes, in spite of the violent party feeling of the rival lyrical faction, continued its triumphant way in 1726, when "Scipione"—notable for its much-admired march—and "Alessandro" were both produced. On the 20th February of the same year the act for naturalizing the illustrious musician in England received the royal assent. "Ammeto" and "Ricardo Primo" were given in 1727. A series of works of higher artistic purport than anything which he had produced since "Acis and Galatea," and of for more enduring interest, makes this year, 1727, important in Handel's career. The four anthems composed for the coronation of George II. and Queen Caroline, are in the grandest style of their author, eminently appropriate to the splendid solemnity for which they were designed. "Ciroe" and "Tolemeo," two more Italian operas of Handel, were brought out in the last disastrous season for the Royal Academy of Music, 1728. Handel had accumulated a sum of £10,000, and was in the annual receipt of £600. On the dissolution of the Academy he determined to risk his capital and his energies in a partnership with Heidegger, the proprietor of the King's theatre. Preparatory to the new campaign, he went to Italy to engage a new company; and, after visiting his mother at Halle, returned to England by way of Hamburg in June. He opened his eventful managerial career on the 2nd of December, with the opera he wrote for the occasion, "Lotario." "Partenope" was first performed, as "Rinaldo" had been, on the 24th of February. This day must have assumed an additional importance in Handel's consideration from its present recurrence, for it was on the anniversary of his baptism in 1730 that his mother died. Handel's only production in 1731 was the opera of "Poro;" but he began the next year with greater activity, for he brought out "Ezio" in January, and "Sosarme" three weeks afterwards.
An incident now occurred, which materially affected the nature of the performances at Handel's theatre, and which influenced in an important manner the subsequent direction of his genius. This was the public production of "Esther," the first oratorio ever performed in England. Bernard Gates, the master of the boys of the chapel royal, had obtained a copy of the score of "Esther," and had had a private performance of the work, which pleased so very greatly that the Academy of Ancient Music introduced the oratorio at one of their subscription concerts. It now became the subject of conversation in all circles, and some speculator thought to make profit from the curiosity it excited, by giving a public performance of the work on the 20th of April, 1732. This prompted Handel to make arrangements for the performance of "Esther" at the king's theatre, which took place by royal command on the 2nd of May. He had probably been previously prevented from thinking this production practicable by the general prevalence in that most indelicate age of a strong prejudice against the availability of biblical subjects for the purposes of amusement. The interest excited by "Esther" induced the public production of the other still greater work, written by Handel for the duke of Chandos, "Acis and Galatea."
In November, 1732, the opera of "Orlando" was written for production in the coming season. The second English oratorio, "Deborah," was completed on the date most conspicuous in Handel's history, the 24th of February, and it was performed on the 17th of March, 1733. Many complaints now teemed against Handel in the public prints; notably one, the subject of which was his having raised the prices at the theatre. Although he enjoyed the king's favour, he had by this time many enemies among the nobility. A quarrel which he had with Senesino the singer brought his fashionable unpopularity to its point of culmination. His chief subscribers threw up their boxes before the close of the season, and announced the opening of a rival opera, with Senesino for its chief attraction in the ensuing year. The third oratorio, "Athalia," was written in the very heat of Handel's managerial perplexities, and it was first performed at the Oxford commemoration in July, 1733. On this occasion he, for the first time, was publicly announced to play on the organ, and the admiration excited by his performance was as great as the triumphant reception given to the oratorio. Handel now paid a hurried visit to Italy in company with his treasurer, whose name was now Anglicised into Smith, to make engagements for his coming season. Immediately he returned he wrote the opera "Ariana," which was not, however, performed till four months later, in January, 1734. The rival establishment to the King's theatre was opened in December, 1733, at the theatre at Lincoln's Inn Fields, under the patronage of the prince of Wales and several nobles. The season opened with Porpora's Ariana, forestalling thus the subject of Handel's forthcoming work, and so giving the utmost appearance of hostility to the opposition. The wedding festivities of the Princess Anne, Handel's pupil, in March, 1734, called his powers into requisition. He furnished an anthem for the ceremony at the chapel royal, and "Parnasso in Festa," an epithalamic serenata, was performed at the opera on the following evening. The season of 1734 terminated Handel's partnership with Heidegger, who then accepted the directors of the rival opera as tenants. To be beforehand with his adversaries, Handel began his season of sole responsibility at the Lincoln's Inn theatre in October; but this was only a temporary arrangement while the building of Covent Garden theatre was being completed; and he opened the new establishment by royal command in November. At the beginning of 1735 Handel produced "Ariodante." He now lighted on a scheme for meeting the pious scruples which had led the production of his oratorios to be censured as profanity. This was to devote the evenings of Wednesday and Friday during Lent to their performance; and he began this first series of that class of entertainments with the introduction of the oratorio of "Athalia" to the London public. Returning to his secular performances after Easter, he produced the opera of "Alcina." By the loss of his principal singer, who left him for a continental engagement, Handel was forced in 1736 upon English resources, to maintain the credit of his season; and he engaged Beard the tenor, whose name is honourably associated with all his subsequent oratorios, and Miss Young, who afterwards became the wife of Arne the composer. To turn to the best account the talent of these singers, he composed within three weeks Dryden's Alexander's Feast. The work was produced in January, 1736, and it was crowned with a success greater than any of the foregoing works of Handel. He had now to write an anthem for the marriage of the prince of Wales, and pertinent to the same festivity was the production of his opera of "Atalanta" in May. In January, 1737, Handel produced "Armenio," which was followed by "Giustino" in February. After Easter he produced "Berenice," and the failure of this work terminated an unsuccessful season. The excitement to the fashionable world of the opposition operas had waned away. The noble directors had squandered £12,000, and their single opponent had, besides expending his £10,000, incurred heavy liabilities which he was obliged to procure license of time to discharge. Handel's health had for some time greatly failed him, and he was now seized with a fit of apoplexy. When sufficiently recovered from this he went to Aix-la-Chapelle for the benefit of the waters, the good effect of which upon him was marvellous. On his return to London he engaged immediately in the composition of his "Faramondo." While he was employed upon this score the queen died. The work was set aside, therefore, that he might write an anthem for the royal funeral; and this magnificent composition was performed at the obsequies of Queen Caroline on the evening of the tenth day after that on which Handel received the commission for its production. Reverting to his former task, he finished "Faramondo" on the 24th of December, rested from his labours for the feast of the Nativity, and began "Serse" on the 26th. The threat of imprisonment at this time from Madame Strada's husband, one of his creditors, seems to have given him great anxiety; and to extricate him from this dilemma, his friends advised him to give a performance for his own benefit. This took place on the 28th of March at the King's theatre, being a selection of the most popular pieces from Handel's sacred and secular English and Italian works. On the 19th of April, 1738, was established the society for the relief of distressed musicians.
