Handel solo sonatas (Walsh)
Encyclopedia
Solos for a German Flute a Hoboy or Violin with a Thorough Bass for the Harpsichord or Bass Violin Compos'd by Mr. Handel was published by John Walsh
in 1732. It contains a set of twelve sonatas, for various instruments, composed by George Frideric Handel
. The 63 page publication includes the sonatas that are generally known as Handel's Opus 1 (three extra "Opus 1" sonatas were added in a later edition by Chrysander).
The 1732 edition (which displays at the bottom of the title page the legend "Note: This is more Corect [sic] than the former Edition") was mostly reprinted from the plates of an earlier 1730 publication, titled Sonates pour un Traversiere un Violon ou Hautbois Con Basso Continuo Composées par G. F. Handel—purportedly in Amsterdam by Jeanne Roger, but now shown to have been a forgery by Walsh (dated well after Jeanne Roger's death in 1722). There was also a third edition of a later, uncertain date, which bears the plate no. 407.
Each sonata displays the melody and bass lines—with the expectation that a competent keyboard player would supply the omitted inner parts based on the figured bass
markings. By modern-day standards, the music in the publication has a primitive appearance—with squashed notes and irregular: spacings, stems and bar widths—as can be seen in the image of page 1 (reproduced below in this article).
Despite the titles in both editions, three of the sonatas in each are for a fourth instrument: the flauto (recorder
).
The following table lists the sonatas included by Walsh in his publication of 1730. Sonatas I – IX and XI were as per the 1732 publication (defined above).
John Walsh (printer)
John Walsh was an English music publisher of Irish descent, established off the Strand, London, by c. 1690. He was appointed musical instrument-maker-in-ordinary to the king in 1692....
in 1732. It contains a set of twelve sonatas, for various instruments, composed by George Frideric Handel
George Frideric Handel
George Frideric Handel was a German-British Baroque composer, famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos. Handel was born in 1685, in a family indifferent to music...
. The 63 page publication includes the sonatas that are generally known as Handel's Opus 1 (three extra "Opus 1" sonatas were added in a later edition by Chrysander).
The 1732 edition (which displays at the bottom of the title page the legend "Note: This is more Corect [sic] than the former Edition") was mostly reprinted from the plates of an earlier 1730 publication, titled Sonates pour un Traversiere un Violon ou Hautbois Con Basso Continuo Composées par G. F. Handel—purportedly in Amsterdam by Jeanne Roger, but now shown to have been a forgery by Walsh (dated well after Jeanne Roger's death in 1722). There was also a third edition of a later, uncertain date, which bears the plate no. 407.
Each sonata displays the melody and bass lines—with the expectation that a competent keyboard player would supply the omitted inner parts based on the figured bass
Figured bass
Figured bass, or thoroughbass, is a kind of integer musical notation used to indicate intervals, chords, and non-chord tones, in relation to a bass note...
markings. By modern-day standards, the music in the publication has a primitive appearance—with squashed notes and irregular: spacings, stems and bar widths—as can be seen in the image of page 1 (reproduced below in this article).
Despite the titles in both editions, three of the sonatas in each are for a fourth instrument: the flauto (recorder
Recorder
The recorder is a woodwind musical instrument of the family known as fipple flutes or internal duct flutes—whistle-like instruments which include the tin whistle. The recorder is end-blown and the mouth of the instrument is constricted by a wooden plug, known as a block or fipple...
).
Summary
The following table lists each of the sonatas included by Walsh in his publication of 1732, as well as information about the instrument, the key, and the original sonata by Handel.| Sonata | Instrument | Key signature | Handel's sonata |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sonata I | Flute | E minor | Flute sonata in E minor (HWV 359b) Flute sonata in E minor (HWV 359b) The Flute sonata in E minor was composed by George Frideric Handel for flute and keyboard . The work is also referred to as Opus 1 No. 1b, and was first published in 1732 by Walsh... . This is the same sonata as Chrysander's Sonata Ib. |
| Sonata II | Recorder | G minor | Recorder sonata in G minor (HWV 360) Recorder sonata in G minor (HWV 360) The Recorder sonata in G minor was composed by George Frideric Handel for recorder and keyboard . The work is also referred to as Opus 1 No. 2, and was first published in 1732 by Walsh... . |
| Sonata III | Violin | A major | Violin sonata in A major (HWV 361) Violin sonata in A major (HWV 361) The Violin sonata in A major was composed by George Frideric Handel for violin and keyboard . The work is also referred to as Opus 1 No. 3, and was first published in 1732 by Walsh... . |
| Sonata IV | Recorder | A minor | Recorder sonata in A minor (HWV 362) Recorder sonata in A minor (HWV 362) The Recorder sonata in A minor was composed by George Frideric Handel for recorder and keyboard . The work is also referred to as Opus 1 No. 4, and was first published in 1732 by Walsh... . |
| Sonata V | Flute | G major | Flute sonata in G major (HWV 363b) Flute sonata in G major (HWV 363b) The Flute sonata in G major was composed by George Frideric Handel for flute and keyboard . The work is also referred to as Opus 1 No. 5, and was first published in 1732 by Walsh. Other catalogues of Handel's music have referred to the work as HG xxvii,19; and HHA iv/3,28... . |
| Sonata VI | Oboe | G minor | Violin sonata in G minor (HWV 364a) Violin sonata in G minor (HWV 364a) The Violin sonata in G minor was composed by George Frideric Handel for violin and keyboard . The work is also referred to as Opus 1 No. 6, and was first published in 1732 by Walsh. Other catalogues of Handel's music have referred to the work as HG xxvii,22; and HHA iv/18,6... . |
| Sonata VII | Recorder | C major | Recorder sonata in C major (HWV 365) Recorder sonata in C major (HWV 365) The Recorder sonata in C major was composed by George Frideric Handel, for recorder and keyboard . The work is also referred to as Opus 1 No. 7, and was first published in 1732 by Walsh... . |
| Sonata VIII | Oboe | C minor | Oboe sonata in C minor (HWV 366) Oboe sonata in C minor (HWV 366) The Oboe sonata in C minor was composed by George Frideric Handel for oboe and keyboard . The work is also referred to as Opus 1 No. 8, and was first published in 1732 by Walsh... . |
| Sonata IX | Flute | B minor | Flute sonata in B minor (HWV 367b) Flute sonata in B minor (HWV 367b) The Flute sonata in B minor is a work for flute and keyboard , however the sonata was originally composed by George Frideric Handel as a Recorder sonata in D minor . Other catalogues of Handel's music have referred to the work as HG xxvii,32; and HHA iv/3,42.The work was first published as "Opus... . Walsh published what is now considered to be Handel's Opus 1 No. 9b. (Handel's Opus 1 No. 9a is the Recorder sonata in D minor (HWV 367a) Recorder sonata in D minor (HWV 367a) The Recorder sonata in D minor was composed by George Frideric Handel for recorder and keyboard . The work is also referred to as Opus 1 No. 9a... .) |
| Sonata X | Violin | G minor | Violin sonata in G minor (HWV 368) Violin sonata in G minor (HWV 368) The Violin sonata in G minor is a work for violin and keyboard that was originally thought to have been composed by George Frideric Handel. Modern scholars however believe it doubtful that the work was composed by Handel, and have labelled it as "spurious". The work is also referred to as Opus 1... . Probably spurious. |
| Sonata XI | Recorder | F major | Recorder sonata in F major (HWV 369) Recorder sonata in F major (HWV 369) The Recorder sonata in F major was composed by George Frideric Handel for recorder and keyboard . The work is also referred to as Opus 1 No. 11, and was first published in 1732 by Walsh... . |
| Sonata XII | Violin | F major | Violin sonata in F major (HWV 370) Violin sonata in F major (HWV 370) The Violin sonata in F major is a work for violin and keyboard that was originally thought to have been composed by George Frideric Handel. Modern scholars however believe it doubtful that the work was composed by Handel, and have labelled it as "spurious". The work is also referred to as Opus 1... . Probably spurious. |
The following table lists the sonatas included by Walsh in his publication of 1730. Sonatas I – IX and XI were as per the 1732 publication (defined above).
| Sonata | Instrument | Key signature | Handel's sonata |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sonata X | Violin | A major | Violin sonata in A major (HWV 372) Violin sonata in A major (HWV 372) The Violin sonata in A major is a work for violin and keyboard that was originally thought to have been composed by George Frideric Handel. Modern scholars however believe it doubtful that the work was composed by Handel, and have labelled it as "spurious". The work was first published in 1730 by... . Probably spurious. Designated Opus 1, No. 14 by the later Chrysander edition. |
| Sonata XII | Violin | E major | Violin sonata in E major (HWV 373) Violin sonata in E major (HWV 373) The Violin sonata in E major is a work for violin and keyboard that was originally thought to have been composed by George Frideric Handel. Modern scholars however believe it doubtful that the work was composed by Handel, and have labelled it as "spurious". The work was first published in 1730 by... . Probably spurious. Designated Opus 1, No. 15 by the later Chrysander edition. |
See also
- List of solo sonatas by George Frideric Handel
- XV Handel solo sonatasXV Handel solo sonatas (Chrysander)XV Solos for a German Flute, Hoboy, or Violin with a Thorough Bass for the Harpsichord or Bass Violin was published by Friedrich Chrysander in 1879. The 72 page volume contains sonatas, for various instruments, composed by George Frideric Handel. The words on the cover of the publication are:...
(publication by Chrysander)
External links
- Brown, Rachel. 2009. "Handel Flute and Recorder Sonatas" (Accessed 20 February 2010)
- Sonates pour un Traversiere un Violon ou Hautbois (pseudo–Jeanne Roger edition). (Accessed 20 February 2010)
- Handel – 19 Sonatas For Various Instruments (Chrysander) (Accessed 20 February 2010)
- Handel – Sonatas (Walsh) (Accessed 20 February 2010)