Description
Despite its title, this B-flat major Air in 3/8 is no slow song but a nimble piece in quick notes, more than eight per second, with both hands moving in fine values. Air, or aria, originally means song, and in instrumental music it is given to pieces built around a melody. It is a short piece in the later part of the Aylesford Pieces, placed after a minuet.
It lasts about 25 seconds yet contains over 200 notes, and the two hands have similar numbers of notes. In 3/8 the bars are short, and the music flows lightly with each bar felt as one beat.
It is rated intermediate. Since it moves in quick notes throughout, slow the playback to make both hands secure before raising the speed. The piece is short, so looping all of it with the A-B loop is efficient. Use the hand colours to check how the hands share the figuration. The range runs from B-flat 1 to C6, and some bass notes fall outside a 61-key keyboard as written, though an octave shift fits every note.
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Sheet music provided by Mutopia Project
About the Composer
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
George Frideric Handel was a Baroque composer born in Halle, Germany, who later became a naturalized British citizen. Celebrated for the oratorio Messiah and his Italian-style operas, he also composed many keyboard suites and sonatas. Often mentioned alongside his contemporary Bach, his music is marked by accessible melody and stately grandeur. This site includes suite movements, minuets, and pieces from the Aylesford Pieces.
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