- Unlike Handel’s 6 Concerti Grossi Op.3, his Opus 6 is not a pirated collection of Handel music thrown together to make concertos, but definitely composed and collected from start to finish by Handel.
- The set was entitled “Twelve Grand Concertos in 7 Parts” (“Grand Concertos” was possibly a more English sounding title than “Concerti grossi”). The set was published in London in 1740.
- Handel composed the whole Op. 6 set in September and October of 1739.
- Handel didn’t always assign an Opus number to his published works. In his Grove’s article, it is suggested that “Opus 6” was used not just because his previous publication was Opus 5, but also as an echo of Corelli’s famous and popular Opus 6 concerti grossi. (nice marketing strategy, Handel)1
Sources
- Anthony Hicks, “Handel [Händel, Hendel], George Frideric,” Grove Music Online (2001), accessed October 18, 2019, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000040060.
Cut IDs
43930