The first adjective that comes to mind is "unpretentious." While Bach was storming the very gates of heaven in Leipzig, here was Handel, relaxed, enjoying holidays in the country, diddling about on his host's harpsichord. But what diddling! Mostly short, often playful, sometimes somber, but always with an air of creative freedom, of unpressured delight in the act of composition. Music, one is tempted to say, for the sake of music. While no one but a scholar would want the
complete edition, a good sampling is available: While no in-print recording is available, János Sebestyén in 1981 released a wonderful harpsichord sampling on Vox CT-4448. So how can you hear the music? Will Internet wonders never cease? Someone has done a complete midi reduction of all 20 selections in the Schott edition mentioned above. You can find them at www.prs.net. You are listening to the "Overture" from that set, which is also the first piece in the Schott edition. END Illus: Magritte: The Invisible World.
|
As a frequent guest at the country estate of Lord Aylesford, Handel
evidently composed new stuff and re-worked old stuff. The manuscripts were left behind in
the Aylesford manor and not discovered until an auction in 1918. Research has shown that
some of the material dates from Handel's early years in Hamburg, while other of the pieces
were new.