Description
About twelve notes a second in F major and 3/8: this Menuet I lasts only about 20 seconds yet packs in over 250 notes, the highest density of the Aylesford Pieces on this site. It opens the second pair of minuets in the later part of the collection, is played together with the Menuet II (Trio) that follows, and is one of the shortest pieces in the set.
The right hand has about 1.7 times as many notes as the left and carries a melody full of fine motion. The trio that follows is in F minor, so here too major and minor on the same tonic form a pair.
It is rated intermediate. With so many notes packed into so little time, the task is to play the fine notes cleanly while holding the tempo. Slow the playback to make the right hand secure, then loop the whole piece with the A-B loop. The range runs from F1 to G5, and some bass notes fall outside a 61-key keyboard as written, though an octave shift fits every note.
The minuet, an elegant triple-time dance popular in the Baroque era, evoking the refined atmosphere of a courtly ball.
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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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