Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales
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Schott Music’s My First Composers series, put together by Wilhelm Ohmen, have been with us for some time now, and I have previously reviewed several titles here.
The most recent to appear, My First Handel repeats the trick of several previous titles in the series, delivering a superbly curated and presented collection of intermediate pieces by a great keyboard composer whose contribution to the repertoire is often, and too easily overlooked.
And once again, this is a music compilation which doesn’t have an obvious rival in the piano education catalogue, so let’s take a serious look…
Handel’s Easiest Pieces
George Frideric Handel was born in 1685, the same year as Johann Sebastian Bach and Domenico Scarlatti. Two of the most performed keyboard composers of the late baroque, Bach and Scarlatti regularly feature in piano recitals and concerts around the world. But what about Handel?
Handel was, and remains, better known for his operas, choral works such as Messiah, Israel in Egypt, and Zadok the Priest, and orchestral highlights such as the popular Arrival of the Queen of Sheba, the Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks.
But Handel was also a celebrated keyboard player, and though less performed than Bach and Scarlatti, his harpsichord works transfer equally well to the modern piano. In recent years, players as different as Angela Hewitt and Keith Jarrett have made a persuasive case for them, in particular championing his Eight Great Suites.
Importantly, Handel also wrote lots of smaller pieces which are suitable for less advanced players, and from this important body of work, Ohmen has selected the following for My First Handel:
- Passepied C major, HWV 559
- Gavotte C major
- Minuet G major, HWV 514b
- Minuet G minor, HWV 536
- Impertinence (Bourrée) G minor, HWV 494
- Minuet G major, HWV 528
- Minuet G major, HWV 529
- Bourrée anglaise from Sonata G major HWV 363b
- Air Bb major, HWV 471
- Gavotte from Partita C minor, HWV 444
- Minuet from Partita G major, HWV 450
- Minuet from Suite D minor, HWV 449
- Sarabande con Variazioni from Suite D minor, HWV 437
- Sonatina in D minor, HWV 581
- Sonatina Bb major, HWV 585
- Sarabande from Suite G minor, HWV 432
- Menuetto con Variazioni from Suite D minor, HWV 436
- Allemande from Suite D minor, HWV 437
- Air G minor, HWV 467
- Sarabande from Suite C major, HWV 443
- Sarabande from Suite G major, HWV 450
- Chaconne con Variazioni from Suite D minor, HWV 448
- Sarabande from Suite D minor, HWV 449
- Aria con Variazioni from Suite Bb major, HWV 434
- Preludio G major, HWV 442/1b
- Chaconne con Variazioni G major, HWV 442/2
- Chaconne con Variazioni G major, HWV 435
- Aria (Ombra mai fu) G major from Serse, HWV 40
- Hallelujah from Messiah, HWV 56
- Aria con Variazioni (The Harmonious Blacksmith)
from Suite E major, HWV 430
This progression of pieces, arranged in approximate order of difficulty, will travel with the player from around UK Grade 2 to Grade 8 (the final piece). A few of the works have appeared in the ABRSM syllabus over the decades, but a large amount of this material is likely to be as new to experienced teachers as it is to players.
My First Anthology
The selection includes jaunty dance movements and quasi improvised preludes, impressive sets of variations (in some cases Ohmen has selected choice variations for the sake of brevity), and slower airs, arias, chaconnes and sarabandes. Almost all are original keyboard works, the two exceptions being accessible keyboard arrangements of the famous Ombra mai fu and Hallelujah Chorus, which are most welcome.
One of Handel’s great talents was his gift for melody, and most of these pieces have an immediacy that will be equally enjoyed by teachers, players, and audiences. It is their directness which sets them apart, and earns their place in the keyboard repertoire as a valuable counterpart to the music of Bach and Scarlatti.
For those familiar with previous books in Schott Music’s My First Composers set, there are few surprises. For those who aren’t, the whole series merits immediate investigation.
Presented in German and English throughout, the sturdy and enjoyably colourful cover opens to 64 pages printed on luxury cream paper. There is a short biography of the composer, presented as a timeline, followed by a Preface in which Ohmen introduces Handel’s principal achievements.
The Contents page lists the sources of the pieces with clarity (some collections fail to do this), and the scores which follow have been newly edited and engraved for this edition. Ohmen is a superb music editor, and as always he has included helpful fingering throughout, as well as explanations of ornaments as footnotes.
Closing Thoughts
This is a series which continues to go from strength to strength. As was the case with the Haydn and Schubert collections, this new addition to the series has the special appeal that comes from discovering works which really should surely be in our standard teaching repertoire, but which are curiously absent except when they make a rare appearance in an exam book.
I hope that teachers who take charge of the curriculum they offer, and players who are curious about neglected repertoire and this great composer’s musical output, will explore this collection and equally enjoy the wonderful quality, educational value, and stylistic range of these tremendous pieces.
I have no doubt that the musical appeal of Handel’s keyboard output will then more than speak for itself. My First Handel is a valuable addition to the Pianodao Music Library, and an easy recommendation!
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