Handel: The Complete Solo Sonatas for Wind Instruments
7/31/2015, 76 Tracks, 2:27:04
Featuring
Barthold Kuijken
Robert Kohnen
Wieland Kuijken
Peter Van Heyghen
Kris Verhelst
Marcel Ponseele
Ewald Demeyere
Richte van der Meer
George Frideric Handel
Did you know?
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Composition History
Handel's recorder sonatas were possibly used as material for harmony lessons he gave to the English royal family's children and his copyist's son.
Compositional Technique
The Italianate style of these sonatas reflects Handel's time in Italy (1707-1710), where his compositional style matured.
Composition History
Handel's obligations to patrons and the seasonal nature of opera performances meant he also composed a substantial amount of orchestral and chamber music, including these sonatas.
Composer Biography
George Frideric Handel settled permanently in England in 1712, primarily dedicating himself to opera.
Historical Context
When Handel used the term 'flauto', he always referred to the recorder, calling the transverse flute 'traversa'.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Handel was a frequent guest at Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni's weekly chamber music evenings in Rome, where he met composers like Alessandro Scarlatti and Arcangelo Corelli.
Compositional Technique
The influence of Arcangelo Corelli's violin sonatas is evident in most of Handel's instrumental sonatas, particularly in their four-movement structure (slow, fast, slow, fast).
