Description
Stately dotted rhythms in G minor give way to a livelier section in 6/8 in this overture, which follows the pattern of the Baroque French overture. It opens the Aylesford Pieces and announces the small pieces that follow; the collection gathers keyboard music from manuscripts that stayed in the family of the Earls of Aylesford.
In the data it begins in 4/4 and changes to 6/8 partway through. The contrast between the stately first part and the more active second is the framework of the piece. It lasts about one minute twenty and has just over 600 notes, divided almost evenly between the hands, a sign that both hands move as equals.
It is rated intermediate. The first part needs the dotted rhythms kept sharp and even, the second needs the 6/8 flow maintained, so the two halves ask for different kinds of playing. Check where the metre changes in the score view, practise each half separately with the A-B loop, then play it through. With a range of D2 to B-flat 5, it needs no more than 61 keys.
A collection of keyboard suites by Handel built mainly around dance movements such as allemandes and gavottes, with lively ornamented melodies and Baroque contrapuntal writing. It suits intermediate-to-advanced players who want to explore Baroque stylistic performance.
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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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