Handel's Op 4 No 6 was originally written as a Harp Concerto and is recorded here in that original version with harp, despite being published as an Organ Concerto.
Compositional Technique
Handel often relied on his improvisational skills for the concertos, sometimes dictating only a bare outline to his copyist John Christopher Smith junior.
Instruments
The English organs Handel wrote for were much smaller and had a softer, sweeter sound compared to the opulent German organs Bach composed for, making them ideal for accompanying a chorus and blending with an orchestra.
Instruments
The organ used for this recording, at St Lawrence, Whitchurch, was rebuilt in 1994 to re-create the instrument Handel knew and played.
Composer Biography
Handel was considered the greatest organist of his day by those who had not heard his contemporary, Bach.
Composition History
Handel devised the genre of the organ concerto due to his reputation as an organ virtuoso, his dual role as composer and impresario, and the presence of an idle orchestra between oratorio acts.
