Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Just for those totally devoted to ... HANDEL

A thourougly overlooked composer a lot of the time, I find Handel's compositions to be some of the best ever produced. Beethoven himself thought Handel the best of all composers, but you would never understand why listening to contemporary classical radio. Apart from Messiah and Music for the Royal Fireworks Handel is more or less ignored, and I can't for the life of me understand why. His most celebrated contemporary, J.S. Bach, is played almost non-stop; this is odd to me because, as much as I love and am fascinated by Bach, I find Handel's music infinitely more accessible to listen to. So this thread is dedicated to a composer I love and who, history tells us, was as loveable a human being as he was a musician.

Hi Polyphasipianist,
I am not sure I have much to contribute to this thread. However, I agree that Handel's keyboard work is oftentimes overlooked. I also recently purchased the CD of Keyboard Suites II. I hope to be able to play some of the pieces. Thanks for starting this thread. I enjoyed the two pieces you shared.

I’m devoted to Handel too. Now, I can only play the famous Sarabande, and not very well. I’m searching for other easy scores, like the slow movements of his suites.

Regards.

I am similar and can only play the Sarabande with one variation and I really like that piece. I do love listening to Music for the Royal Fireworks.

I am struggling with the fingering work for Variation I of Sarabande. I used to play it quite well -- 35 years ago! What do either of you find most difficult in learning Sarabande?

I find very difficult maintaining the rhythm with all those chords.

I am working on the 2nd variation of the Sarabande! Beautiful!

I heard someone playing it "differently" that what I was used to so I am changing the way I play it too. I find it more difficult to play but nicer to hear. My wife does not agree, luckily that I am the one playing and I choose how to play it!

If I find the link again I will post it, but the 2nd variation is very simple to distinguish, the left hand is all "staccato"!

I would be interested in hearing the style of the 2nd variation with the staccato left hand. I've never heard it done that way. I've tended to play it more sustained. I am alway open to new ideas, however!

It seems as though the Sarabande and variations is quite popular. I too am learning that piece (actually I'd say it is quite learned at this point, I am just polishing it up a bit). I hope to post a video of it soon, but I need to get one of the good pianos at the conservatory to play it on, and since there is a music festival on right now, I'd say that the odds aren't looking so good.

I don't know which variation I am doing on the Sarabande. The book doesn't specify that. I learned it in 1996 originally while I was taking lessons. I 're-learned' it about 6 months ago. I think the timing was the hardest on the Sarabande. The variation I play is not as hard as the original.

The one I am doing is definitely not staccato in the left hand. They play the original on a commercial - it is faster than what I typically play it.

Just returned from a fabulous (!) performance of "Ariodante" at the Barbican with Alan Curtis conducting "Il Complesso Barocco" and a superb team of soloists, with Joyce DiDonato singing Ariodante. Her singing was truly exquisite. The aria "Scherza infida" was intensely moving, you could have heard a pin drop. "Dopo notte" brought the house down.

Since there are so many people learning the same piece (presumably the sarabande from the 11th suite) I thought it might interest you all that this piece is actually just an accompaniment. If you listen carefully you can hear the harpsichord playing in the background. They should have used a piano though, because they have beefed up the orchestra to levels that never would have been used in the baroque. The harpsichord simply can't handle it (no pun intended).



There is another version where the harpsichord is clearer, but the performance isn't quite as good:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91sfrw106xs

Here is another, better sounding version. But this one has no harpsichord.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSAd3NpDi6Q&feature=related

Handel was no slouch in the vocal arena either. Here's a nice sequence from the movie Farinelli with the famous aria from Rinaldo, Farinelli adding a little extra vocal pyrotechnics at the end of it to impress Handel. I don't believe they ever met in real life ... a bit of artistic license!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9h7oB0TpLY

I don't know if it’s possible recommend recordings in this forum. But these recordings are a very good way to know Handel’s suites on piano.



Regards

I also have Keyboard Suite II. I love it. I am trying to find a good musical score with fingering and good notations. I would appreciate any suggestions.

I've just found the music score of Impertinence by Handel. It's a marvellous music. The score has no fingering, but it doesn't seem very difficult. Just for Adult Beginners totally devoted to Handel .

http://www.free-scores.com/download-sheet-music.php?pdf=251

I think I know why pianists have a problem with Handel. It's all those godawful transcriptions of his arias that we have to play when accompanying vocalists! I have thought about doing a bunch of my own arrangements for his most famous arias, as a service to all the poor accompanists out there playing horribly unpianistic transcriptions. I know many of you don't have to accompany voice students, but I wonder (seriously) if this has affected the attention given to his keyboard works. Many of us depend on our teachers to learn new repertoire, and most of our teachers did have to do accompanying at one point or another.

I like Handel, though I like Bach more. I like Chopin most, but he liked Handel too (better than he liked Beethoven I think). And of course, Bach liked Handel too.

Handel deserves all the attention he can get. He has had mine for about 40 years, his Cocerti Grossi, mostly. Now it is going to be keyboard music. Since Richter is my favorite pianist (of course), I will start with him. I have a nice little book with baroque keyboard music, and found a Passepied by Handel that is suitable for my modest level of playing.
I must admit that for me Bach is the greatest of them all, but Handel is serious competition.

Wow, the keyboard suite that you posted polyphasic is beautiful. Admittedly, I was one of those people who looked over Handel as a inferior version of Bach. Now that I see that Handel's music contains a very special expressive element. Really opened my eyes. Thanks Polyphasic.

If I am not mistaken, the Sarabande with variations referred to earlier is itself a variation on a theme "La Folia de Espana" which was greatly elaborated by Arcangelo Corelli, a much earlier composer than Bach and Handell. I love the Suite in D minor (HWV 437) Allemande, Sarabande, and the little Gigue. It's available on IMSLP as a free transcription:

http://imslp.info/files/imglnks/usimg/e/e4/IMSLP61766-PMLP126189-handel_hwv-437_4.pdf

Another favoriate keyboard work of Handell that almost everyone knows when they hear it, but nobody remembers it as a Handell piece is "The Harmonious Blacksmith, Aria and Variations" - Suite in E major, HWV 430 - Also available from IMSLP:

http://216.129.110.22/files/imglnks...H__ndel-B__low_Harmonious_Blacksmith.pdf

Thanks. I'm going to try these out. These transcriptions are easier to read.

Crazy about Haendel. Flat-out crazy. Love his stuff. Especially his arias. Spent this weekend arranging "Con rauco mormorio" for piano and viola, and should have the piano part it done this weekend.

No better hook-writer exists in pop or rock music today. Haendel's the top.

I'm listening to Richter's recording of the suites right now. This is outstanding music!! It's somewhat shocking it's not more prominent.

Would you agree that these pleasant, often striking, well-articulated performances and compositions deserve to be more prominent?

Just like that, I'm pitched upon the Handel bandwagon. Didn't take much, really, only to listen.

I totally agree. I don't understand why they haven't been more prominent. I'm hooked.

I've been thinking about approaching a Handel suite. I think my favorite right now is #8.

Anyone else have a favorite suite? I see PPP shared #2, which I also like.

Hi there,


What about these 7 Fughettas........every little piece of him is a beauty......

Händel 7 Fughettas

Cheers,
Johan B

I am currently devoted to "Passacaille" from Suite No. 7

Leon, it's quite a coincidence that this subject came up today. My favorite is Suite #9 in G minor. This morning I was considering purchasing the sheet music. However, you have to purchase the entire set of suites in a book. It's pretty pricey too! I know I'm eventually going to learn this. However, I just couldn't bring myself to make the big buy today. This thread is making me reconsider. Perhaps next week I'll do it. We'll see!

Suites and more suites, scores in the public domain...

http://imslp.org/wiki/8_Great_Suites_(1720),_HWV_426-433_(Handel,_George_Frideric)

http://conquest.imslp.info/files/imglnks/usimg/b/b0/IMSLP18735-PMLP44355-HG_Band_2.pdf

THANK YOU EGLANTINE!! I owe you big time for this. I tried to locate the suite on this site last year. However, I came up with a much more difficult to read score. I didn't think I had any other options in the public domain. Next time I will ask you first. Thanks!

It's a pleasure, Griffin. I'm only starting to find my way around public domain works online, but there seems to be a growing body of material, thanks to all the people that take time to scan out-of-copyright works.

The one I'm miffed about is the new Froberger manuscript, sold at auction recently. Out of private hands, and back into private hands, mystery buyer. Nobody even knew it existed. While we know there are some 17 or 18 new keyboard pieces in there, we don't have any access to them, either free or paid for. Barenreiter (the music publisher of all known Froberger works to date) asked the auction house if they could view it prior to the auction, and were ignored or turned down, I forget which. I think it stinks that because some guy has serious money (£600,000?) he can deprive the world of the contents of this manuscript containing beautiful music, still, some 350 years after the composer's death. Just imagine if nobody could ever play or sing or listen to Mozart's operas or Beethoven's symphonies because the only manuscripts were locked up some old guy's safe in Geneva.

Not much of a keyboard composer IMO, but I do like this one piece very much:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1w_yELpgNs

Certainly not popular on piano recitals. Don't think I've heard a single one of his compositions played in over 40 decades of attending recitals.

I do think many of his non keyboard works entitle him to be ranked very highly on a list of the great composers.

You've attended recitals for 40 decades? Wow!

I hear Handel played many weeks of the year, for example at the weekly recitals at Handel House (in the room that Handel used for rehearsing)... along with other composers of the Baroque. That venue is magical, and a bit like having a concert in your front room.

Anyways, here's some splendid keyboard Handel, with Paul Nicholson at the harpsichord.

Fantastic Eglantine!. That is one of my favourite Handel's suites. Thanks my friend!

Yes, but my arthritis is beginning to make it hard to play. Actually, that was a typo but my Grandmother is 112.5 years old and that's no typo!

I've located a recording of the Allemande from Handel's Keyboard Suite #9 in G minor that I most enjoy. This selection is performed by Sviatoslav Richter. You should also know that folks on this thread are getting a sneak preview of one of my upcoming Classical Sunday postings on Rostokys Serious Thread!

That's lovely, Griffin. Where would we be without YouTube?

Absolutely true, Eglantine. YouTube has really helped open the doors to so many things. I doubt I would have ever heard that piece had YouTube not been around.