During this time Handel join Hamburg’s opera orchestra as a violinist in 1703. There he wrote his first opera Almira in 1705 (“Encyclopedia” 292). The libretto from which it was based was written by Friedrich Christian Feustking and derived from the Venetian libretto by Guilio Pancieri (Hogwood 26). It’s a three act opera that was primarily sung in German with few Italian arias and a single aria that was sung in both German and Italian. The Opera involved dance as well, including ballet, a saraband and chaconne which had brought all three parts of the opera together again. Almira was an instant success. It ran for twenty nights after its opening (Hogwood 26, 27; “Encyclopedia” 23). Despite the success, the opera took much criticism for its text by Feustking (Hogwood 26).

After his success with Almira, Handel proceeded to write another opera called Nero (Weisstein 62). The libretto was provided by that same author that had written Almira. Nero was not as big of a success. It was preformed for but only three nights. Since then the music to this piece and the next has been lost. Fortunately enough, a libretto of good quality has been preserved. The cast seems to be even larger than that of Almira and with more ballet present. This time, however, Handel himself is quoted for the criticism of his own opera for the same reason in the prior. “How is a musician to create anything beautiful if he has no beautiful words? …There is no spirit in the verse, and one feels vexation in setting such to music.” Again Handel began working on another opera while in Hamburg. As stated above the music for this one has been lost too. What little remains of this opera is hardly positive. Mattheson, a friend of Handel, is reported to have complained about it being “too long-winded” (Hogwood 27, 28).

Regretfully, in the following years Hamburg’s opera house began its decline (Hogwood 29). Through Keiser’s inability to separate the producer and the composer he brought the opera house to its knees. Each time he saved himself and the opera theater through marriage in a wealthy wife (“Encyclopedia 342, 342). Reinhard left the theater in 1717 and for several years it switched directors. Finally it closed in 1739 just before Keiser’s death (“Composers” 198). This was the end of its sixty year reign as “the” German opera theater for the baroque period.