Georg Friedrich Händel (1685-1759): 4 Organ Concertos, including ¨The Cuckoo and the Nightingale¨

00:00 Concerto No 13 in F "The Cuckoo and the Nightingale" (Second Set No 1): Larghetto - Allegro - Organo ad libitum - Larghetto - Allegro *
15:30 Concerto No 5 in F Op 4 No 5: Largo - Allegro - Alla Siciliana - Presto *
24:15 Concerto No 6 in B flat Op 4 No 6: Andante allegro - Larghetto - Allegro moderato +
34:27 Concerto No 4 in F Op 4 No 4: Allegro - Andante - Adagio - Allegro +

Simon Preston, organ - Yehudi Menuhin conducting the Menuhin Festival Orchestra
* Organ of the Merchant Taylors´Hall - Harpsichord continuo: Colin Tilney
+ Organ of Queen Elizabeth Hall, London - Leader: Robert Masters - Harpsichord Continuo: Valda Aveling (Harpsichord by Thomas Goff)

Informed listeners are aware that to produce an unarguably authentic text of these concertos would be impossible. Not only do the editions published in the 18th Century differ among themselves, but they also differ from Handel's own manuscripts and from contemporary copies. The printed pages do not solve the problems afforded by the passages marked “ad libitum,” the movements omitted from Handel's manuscripts, or the various cuts which at one time or another were made by the composer or his copyists. Because of this, and because Chrysander's Handel Society texts were prepared without reference to some very important sources, it was decided to prepare new scores of all these works. In general, manuscripts, especially those in Handel's writing, have been given priority.

For the many “ad libitum” sections, Handel's instructions were carefully followed despite their omission from the Walsh prints. Occasionally the words “ad libitum" appearing between movements are qualified by a key or time signature, by a fragmentary theme or even by instructions such as “adagio” or “Fuga" — in such cases complete movements by Handel himself, or keyboard transcriptions of them by the editor, have been selected.

No 1 of a “Second Set” published by Walsh in 1740, the Concerto No 13 is commonly called “Cuckoo and the Nightingale,” a title it acquired at the beginning of the 19th Century. The second movement follows the original version of Handel's manuscript before it was altered and shortened by J. C. Smith. This long version appears in Walsh's prints of 1740 and 1755, whereas the shorter one was not published until after the composer’s death. This organ concerto is dated April 2, 1739. The first and last movements are from the Trio Sonata Op 5 No 6, published February, 1739. The remaining two movements appear in the String Concerto Op 6 No 9, part of which exists in G major, dated by Handel as September 9, 1738, in his “Imeneo” overture. The “ad libitum” consists of extracts, transposed, from the Chaconne in G major, published about 1732.

There is no known complete autograph of No 5 of Op 4, published in 1738. The concerto is based on the flute sonata Op 1 No 11.

No 6 of Op 4, published in 1738, is the only organ concerto with recorders instead of oboes, and one of the very few orchestral works with muted violins and pizzicato bass. The work exists in several versions. The first was for “Alexander’s Feast” in March, 1737 — the manuscript is marked “Concerto per il Liuto e la Harpa.” For this, only the organ accompaniment now exists. The second (represented by the autograph score) was for harp and orchestra. It was published in 1738 for harp or organ. The highest note on most, if not all, English organs at this time was the D above the stave — this concerto, uniquely, necessitates E flat. A third version rewrites the organ part so as to avoid this E flat, but there is no proof that these alterations (which often seriously damage the shape of the phrases) had Handel’s authorization. A fourth version, in autograph, transposed the first movement to A major (thus avoiding the E flat) as an alternative finale to Concerto “Second Set” No 2. A fifth version, for “Alexander's Feast” in 1739, was for “Harp, Lute, Lyricord and Other Instruments.” No music for this exists. This recording uses the second (autograph and published) version.

No 4 of Op 4 was published by Walsh in 1738. The finale originally led straight into a choral Alleluja. After the last bar is the date March 25, 1735. For the published version, Handel omitted the Alleluja and revised the closing bars of the final Allegro itself. In this recording, this revision was adopted. The concerto was probably first performed with “Deborah” (March 26, 1735) or “Athalia” (April 1, 1735). Advertisements for both announced: “with a new concerto on the organ.” The work, with its choral addition, was certainly given at a performance of “Il Trionfo” in 1737. The manuscript has the words “Segue il Concerto per l’organo e poi l'Alleluja. Fine dell'Oratorio G.F. Handel, London, March 14, 1737.” The theme of the first movement appeared also in the presto version of the chorus “Questo e il cielo di contenti” in Act I of “Alcina” (April 16, 1735).

Annotation from notes by Christopher Bishop and N. D. Boyling