Handel in London: operas, oratorios and keyboard suites

About George Frideric Handel

He was born Georg Friedrich Händel in Halle on 5 March 1685, the son of a barber-surgeon, and studied with the organist Friedrich Wilhelm Zachow. After university in Halle he joined the Hamburg opera in 1703 and wrote Almira there, then spent several years in Italy, where Rodrigo and Agrippina were staged. He became Kapellmeister to the Elector of Hanover in 1710 but was in London by 1712 and stayed. He was naturalised in 1727, the year he wrote the coronation anthems for George II, and he died in London on 14 April 1759, buried in Westminster Abbey.

London shaped the music in this catalogue. Handel ran three commercial opera companies and wrote 42 operas, then turned to English oratorio after a breakdown in 1737. Messiah was composed in 1741 and premiered in Dublin on 13 April 1742. Earlier came the Water Music for George I in 1717; later came the Music for the Royal Fireworks in 1749. The keyboard suites, the concerti grossi Op. 6 and the coronation anthems belong to the same working life, and they are the source of many of the shorter pieces catalogued here.

The TuneViva holdings reflect that breadth. The catalogue presents all 365 scores as public domain, 77 include lyrics, and the total playing time is roughly 1,696 minutes across 1,075,104 notated notes. Most entries are rated complexity index 0, which makes this a practical starting point for a keyboard player or a choral singer. Expect duplicate titles under different spellings — Händel, Hndel, Handel — because the underlying catalogue has never merged name variants.

Listening and playing notes

These scores cover several different jobs. The keyboard suite movements are dance forms — allemande, courante, sarabande, gigue — and need clear articulation and restrained ornament rather than romantic rubato. The opera and oratorio arias are vocal lines with a continuo part, so a pianist has to supply the harmony and leave room for the singer. Choral entries such as the Hallelujah Chorus expect four-part balance and a firm, steady pulse. The Water Music and concerto movements reward a bright, dance-like touch.

Selected scores

1. Canticorum Jubilo, G Major (SATB)

   A choral setting in G major for four voices and the most-viewed Handel item in this catalogue.

2. Passacaglia – Handel/Halvorsen (Piano Solo)

   The passacaglia from Handel's Harpsichord Suite in G minor, HWV 432, in Johan Halvorsen's celebrated arrangement, here set for piano.

3. Georg Friedrich Händel – Sarabande

   The sarabande from the Keyboard Suite in D minor, HWV 437, a stately movement familiar from film and television.

4. Ah Mio Cor – Handel – Alcina

   One of Handel's finest opera arias, sung by Alcina herself in Act II and often performed as a standalone recital piece.

5. Hallelujah Chorus

   The closing chorus of Part II of Messiah and the single most recognisable piece of English choral music.

6. Aria "Ombra Mai Fu" from HWV 40 "Xerxes" by G. F. Handel

   The opening aria of Serse, a long-breathed melody that became known in the nineteenth century as Handel's Largo.

7. Water Music Suite by G.F. Händel

   A suite drawn from the three Water Music sets written for a royal river party in 1717.

8. Handel Concerto Grosso Op.6 No.12 in B Minor – Violin 1 Concertino

   The first violin part of the last of the twelve Op. 6 concerti grossi, published in 1740.