Sonata in G major (HWV 358)
Encyclopedia
The Sonata in G major was composed (circa 1707-10) by George Frideric Handel
, for an unspecified instrument and keyboard (harpsichord
). The work is also referred to as HHA
iv/18,3. (There is no HG
designation for the work.)
For an unknown reason, Handel did not indicate the instrumentation or the tempo markings on the movements. In fact, the original manuscript does not even mention that it is a "Sonata". The tessitura
is high for a violin, and the work does not fall below "g" (which is a whole octave above the violin's lowest note). For this reason (although the violin is the most likely instrument), the recorder is sometimes used for performance.
The work is referred to as one of the Fitzwilliam
sonatas.
A typical performance of the work takes almost five minutes.
:
Note that the tempo for each movement was not marked on the score, and the above are by general agreement by subsequent publishers.
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...
, for an unspecified instrument and keyboard (harpsichord
Harpsichord
A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
). The work is also referred to as HHA
Hallische Händel-Ausgabe
The Hallische Händel-Ausgabe is a multi-volume collection of the works of George Frideric Handel. It was first published in the 1950s: initially as an adjunct to the HG edition, but by 1958 as a collected edition in its own right...
iv/18,3. (There is no HG
Händel-Gesellschaft
Between 1858 and 1902, the Händel-Gesellschaft, or "German Handel Society," produced a collected 105-volume edition of the works of Georg Frideric Handel. Even though the collection was initiated by the society, many of the volumes were published by Friedrich Chrysander working alone...
designation for the work.)
For an unknown reason, Handel did not indicate the instrumentation or the tempo markings on the movements. In fact, the original manuscript does not even mention that it is a "Sonata". The tessitura
Tessitura
In music, the term tessitura generally describes the most musically acceptable and comfortable range for a given singer or, less frequently, musical instrument; the range in which a given type of voice presents its best-sounding texture or timbre...
is high for a violin, and the work does not fall below "g" (which is a whole octave above the violin's lowest note). For this reason (although the violin is the most likely instrument), the recorder is sometimes used for performance.
The work is referred to as one of the Fitzwilliam
Fitzwilliam Sonatas
Fitzwilliam Sonatas is the name first given by Thurston Dart to an arrangement he made, based on two recorder sonatas by George Frideric Handel, which he recast as a group of three sonatas...
sonatas.
A typical performance of the work takes almost five minutes.
Movements
The work consists of three movementsMovement (music)
A movement is a self-contained part of a musical composition or musical form. While individual or selected movements from a composition are sometimes performed separately, a performance of the complete work requires all the movements to be performed in succession...
:
| Movement | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Allegro | |
| 2 | Adagio | |
| 3 | Allegro | Four ridiculously high notes (that don't fit the accompanying harmony) are found at the end of the movement. |
Note that the tempo for each movement was not marked on the score, and the above are by general agreement by subsequent publishers.
See also
- List of solo sonatas by George Frideric Handel