| Handel Manuel | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 27, 1918 Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Died | October 22, 1994 (aged 76) Chennai, India |
Handel Manuel (April 27, 1918 – October 22, 1994) was an Indian pianist, organist, conductor, composer and accompanist. He helped to make western classical music popular in Chennai.
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Manuel was born in Tuticorin, India, on April 27, 1918, and was named after the composer Handel. He was educated at the Madras Christian College, but he did not study music there. He was a self-taught composer.
At the age of 23 Manuel became the first Indian conductor of the Madras Musical Association. He also served for over 50 years as the organist and choirmaster at St Andrew's Church, Chennai (known as The Kirk) and was the founder director of the Madras Philharmonic and Choral Society.
Manuel worked as a music teacher in C.S.I Bain's School towards the end of his career.
He died on October 22, 1994.
At the request of several choristers who had sung under Manuel, Sharada and Surender Schaffter founded the Handel Manuel Chorus in 2003. Surender is the younger brother of Handel Manuel. This non-denominational choir has thirty members and specializes mostly in church music of the Baroque and Classical periods. They have performed at Egmore Wesley, St George's Cathedral, the Emmanuel Methodist Church and St.Andrew's Church, Bangalore.