Guided Tours

In preparation of the Handel Anniversary Festival of 1959 the new director, Konrad Sasse, took great pains over the years 1955 to 1958 to tighten up the informative character of the exhibition and include in it important aspects which had so far been neglected, such as the political and social influences in Handel's work.

From the early 1960s onwards increasing attention was paid to the scientific examination and presentation of all items in the various collections in order to enhance their informative value for visitors. With the improvement and extension of the electro-acoustic equipment, taped guide-commentaries ware introduced in 1967. They combined short explanatory passages in various languages, with selections from Handel's music. The approach of the anniversary year 1985 was seen as an opportunity to work out a completely new Handel exhibition. The space occupied by the old exhibition was no longer adequate to cater for the continually increasing stream of visitors, thorough renovation and reconstruction had in any case become a necessity, and the task of fostering the younger Handel tradition urgently called for an updated presentation.