<P> The continuing Hallische Händel - Ausgabe edition was first inaugurated in 1955 in the Halle region in Saxony - Anhalt, Eastern Germany . It did not start as a critical edition, but after heavy criticism of the first volumes, which were performing editions without a critical apparatus (for example, the opera Serse was published with the title character recast as a tenor reflecting pre-war German practice), it repositioned itself as a critical edition . Influenced in part by cold - war realities, editorial work was inconsistent: misprints are found in abundance and editors failed to consult important sources . In 1985 a committee was formed to establish better standards for the edition . The unification of Germany in 1990 removed communication problems, and the volumes issued have since shown a significant improvement in standards . </P> <P> Between 1978 and 1986 the German academic Bernd Baselt catalogued Handel's works in his Händel - Werke - Verzeichnis publication . The catalogue has achieved wide acceptance and is used as the modern numbering system, with each of Handel's works designated an "HWV" number, for example Messiah is catalogued as "HWV 56". </P> <P> Handel's works were collected and preserved by two men: Sir Samuel Hellier, a country squire whose musical acquisitions form the nucleus of the Shaw - Hellier Collection, and the abolitionist Granville Sharp . The catalogue accompanying the National Portrait Gallery exhibition marking the tercentenary of the composer's birth calls them two men of the late eighteenth century "who have left us solid evidence of the means by which they indulged their enthusiasm". With his English oratorios, such as Messiah and Solomon, the Coronation Anthems, and other works including Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks, Handel became a national icon in Britain, and featured in the BBC series, The Birth of British Music: Handel - The Conquering Hero . </P> <P> After his death, Handel's Italian operas fell into obscurity, except for selections such as the aria from Serse, "Ombra mai fù". The oratorios continued to be performed but not long after Handel's death they were thought to need some modernisation, and Mozart orchestrated a German version of Messiah and other works . Throughout the 19th century and first half of the 20th century, particularly in the Anglophone countries, his reputation rested primarily on his English oratorios, which were customarily performed by choruses of amateur singers on solemn occasions . The centenary of his death, in 1859, was celebrated by a performance of Messiah at The Crystal Palace, involving 2,765 singers and 460 instrumentalists, who played for an audience of about 10,000 people . </P>

Which of these composers spent most of their time in germany