Handel flute sonatas
Encyclopedia
It is impossible to say precisely how many flute sonatas George Frideric Handel
composed, but the correct number is somewhere between zero and eight.
There are many reasons for the confusion, including: the fact that some of the sonatas were originally written for other instruments, some contain borrowings from other Handel's works, and some were published without Handel's knowledge (in altered form). At least six of the sonatas are known to contain music written by Handel, although he may not have intended some of them to have originally been played on the flute.
The main source of the sonatas is the circa-1730 publication Sonates pour un traversiere un violin ou hautbois con basso continuo composées par G. F. Handel, allegedly by the Amsterdam publisher Jeanne Roger (who had died in December 1722). The publication was in fact made by the printer John Walsh
whose reasons for the false imprint are unclear, however in 1732 he published a revised version
under his own name.
Three more sonatas attributed to Handel were published by Walsh in 1730 as part of a collection titled Six Solos, Four for a German Flute and a Bass and two for a Violin with a Thorough Bass. It was long supposed that these were early works, composed by Handel as a boy in Halle, before 1703, but their authenticity is now considered doubtful, and the supposition of the date has been proven unfounded, at least for the second sonata, three movements of which are arrangements of music known to have been composed by Handel after 1712.
Of the eleven flute sonatas formerly attributed to Handel, only one appears to have been genuinely intended for the flute (since it exists in that form in Handel's autograph), and even that one is a hasty arrangement of movements from other works.
More recently, a Flute Sonata in D major, attributed in a manuscript to Johann Sigismund Weiss (brother of the lutenist Sylvius Leopold Weiss
), has been put forward as a work actually by Handel (HWV 378).
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...
composed, but the correct number is somewhere between zero and eight.
There are many reasons for the confusion, including: the fact that some of the sonatas were originally written for other instruments, some contain borrowings from other Handel's works, and some were published without Handel's knowledge (in altered form). At least six of the sonatas are known to contain music written by Handel, although he may not have intended some of them to have originally been played on the flute.
The main source of the sonatas is the circa-1730 publication Sonates pour un traversiere un violin ou hautbois con basso continuo composées par G. F. Handel, allegedly by the Amsterdam publisher Jeanne Roger (who had died in December 1722). The publication was in fact made by the printer John Walsh
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....
whose reasons for the false imprint are unclear, however in 1732 he published a revised version
Handel solo sonatas (Walsh)
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...
under his own name.
Three more sonatas attributed to Handel were published by Walsh in 1730 as part of a collection titled Six Solos, Four for a German Flute and a Bass and two for a Violin with a Thorough Bass. It was long supposed that these were early works, composed by Handel as a boy in Halle, before 1703, but their authenticity is now considered doubtful, and the supposition of the date has been proven unfounded, at least for the second sonata, three movements of which are arrangements of music known to have been composed by Handel after 1712.
Of the eleven flute sonatas formerly attributed to Handel, only one appears to have been genuinely intended for the flute (since it exists in that form in Handel's autograph), and even that one is a hasty arrangement of movements from other works.
More recently, a Flute Sonata in D major, attributed in a manuscript to Johann Sigismund Weiss (brother of the lutenist Sylvius Leopold Weiss
Sylvius Leopold Weiss
Silvius Leopold Weiss was a German composer and lutenist.Born in Grottkau near Breslau, the son of Johann Jacob Weiss, also a lutenist, he served at courts in Breslau, Rome, and Dresden, where he died...
), has been put forward as a work actually by Handel (HWV 378).
List of flute sonatas
| HWV | Key | Composed | Published | Opus | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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... |
E minor | circa 1724 | 1732 | Opus 1 No. 1 | Originally composed as a violin sonata in D minor (HWV 359a) Violin sonata in D minor (HWV 359a) The Violin sonata in D minor was composed by George Frideric Handel, for violin and keyboard . The work is also referred to as HHA iv/18,10.... . |
| 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... |
G major | circa 1711–1716 | 1732 | Opus 1 No. 5 | Originally composed as an oboe sonata in F major (HWV 363a) Oboe sonata in F major (HWV 363a) The Oboe sonata in F major was composed by George Frideric Handel, for oboe and keyboard . The work is also referred to as HHA iv/18,36... . |
| 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... |
B minor | circa 1725–1726 | 1732 | Opus 1 No. 9 | Originally composed as a 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... . |
| 374 Flute sonata in A minor (HWV 374) The Flute sonata in A minor is thought to have been composed by George Frideric Handel, for flute and keyboard . The date of composition of the work is unknown, but it was first published in 1730... |
A minor | 1730 | "Halle sonata No. 1". Authenticity uncertain. | ||
| 375 Flute sonata in E minor (HWV 375) The Flute sonata in E minor is thought to have been composed by George Frideric Handel, for flute and keyboard . The date of composition of the work is unknown, but it was first published in 1730... |
E minor | 1730 | "Halle sonata No. 2". Authenticity uncertain. | ||
| 376 Flute sonata in B minor (HWV 376) The Flute sonata in B minor is thought to have been composed by George Frideric Handel, for flute and keyboard . The date of composition of the work is unknown, but it was first published in 1730. Other catalogues of Handel's music have referred to the work as HG xlviii,137; and HHA iv/3,68.The... |
B minor | 1730 | "Halle sonata No. 3". Authenticity uncertain. | ||
| 378 Flute sonata in D major (HWV 378) The Flute sonata in D major was composed by George Frideric Handel, for flute and keyboard . The work is also referred to as HHA iv/18,41.... |
D major | ?circa 1707 | 1979 | No autograph version exists. | |
| 379 Flute sonata in E minor (HWV 379) 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. 1a, and was first published in 1879 by Chrysander... |
E minor | circa 1720 | 1879 | Opus 1 No. 1a | The only sonata that survives as a flute sonata in Handel's own manuscript. |
See also
- List of compositions by George Frideric Handel
- Handel solo sonatas (Walsh)Handel solo sonatas (Walsh)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...
- XV Handel solo sonatas (Chrysander)XV 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:...