Page "Agrippina (opera)" Paragraph 4

Handel's earliest opera compositions, in the German style, date from his Hamburg years, 1704 – 06, under the influence of Johann Mattheson.

In 1706 he travelled to Italy where he remained for three years, learning the Italian style of music and developing his compositional skills.

Initially he stayed in Florence where he was introduced to Alessandro and Domenico Scarlatti, and where his first Italian opera was composed and performed.

This was Rodrigo ( 1707, original title Vincer se stesso ê la maggior vittoria ), in which the Hamburg and Mattheson influences remained prominent.

The opera was not particularly successful, but was part of Handel's process of learning to compose opera in the Italian style and to set Italian words to music.