Allemande, from "Little" Suite in g

G. F. Handel (1685-1759) is certainly most significant in music history for his vocal works, both operas and oratorios. Yet his keyboard music should not be so easily relegated to the margins. In addition to the substantial suites for solo harpsichord (sixteen in all), there are organ concertos, preludes, fugues, and various other shorter forms. From that whole body of music, we cobble together tonight a Prelude and Passacaglia in G Minor for three harpsichords—with friends. The Prelude in question is actually the Allemande of the “Little” Suite in G Minor, HWV 439. The Passacaglia comes from the larger Suite in G Minor, HWV 432, one of the so-called “Great Eight.” A favored form of the Baroque era, the Passacaglia repeats a fixed bassline or harmonic progression numerous times, each occurrence allowing variation above. In this case, Handel takes the harmonic progression as his recurrent element across 16 sections that explore different keyboard textures, ranges, and rhythmic complexity. There is a powerful sense of forward momentum as the ear perceives the play between stasis (in harmony) and change (in surface level activity). Handel finishes with grand arpeggios in both treble and bass.

(c) Jason Stell