Page:Romain Rolland Handel.djvu/13

 and without renouncing his own right over his son (for he still had the legal plan in his head) consented to let him learn music; and on his return to Halle he placed him under the best master in the town, the organist Friedrich Wilhelm Zachau.

Zachau was a broad-minded man and moreover a good musician, whose greatness was only appreciated many years after his death. His influence on Handel was splendid. Handel himself did not conceal it. This influence affected the pupil in two ways: by his method of teaching, and by his artistic personality. "The man was very well up in his art," says Matheson, "and is possessed of as much talent as beneficence."

Handel's devotion to Zachau was so great that he seemed never able to show him sufficient affection and kindness. The master's first efforts were devoted to giving the pupil a strong foundation in harmony. Then he turned his thoughts towards the