Concerto Grosso in G, Op. 6, No. 1, HWV 319

George Frideric Handel’s (1685-1759) Concerti Grossi, Op. 6 (also Twelve Grand Concertos, HWV 319-330), are a collection of twelve concerti grossi for two violins and cello with an accompanying four-part string orchestra and harpsichord continuo, and they are among the best examples of the Baroque concerto grosso. Modeled more on Arcangelo Corelli’s concerto da chiesa and concerto da camara than on Antonio Vivaldi’s three-movement form adopted by J.S. Bach, these 1739 works were composed to be performed during the intermissions of Handel’s oratorios. Among the twelve Concerto Grosso can be found a mixture of original music and music borrowed from other works by the composer. No. 1 in G Major, HWV 319, borrows from the overture of Handel’s Italian opera Imeneo, reworking it completely for the first movement. The fifth and final movement also quotes liberally from Domenico Scarlatti’s Keyboard Sonata in G Major, K. 2. Instrumentation: Str (2-2-2-1-1 in set): Hpchd (in set): Soli Vn(2).Solo Vc. (2 oboes were later added by Handel, and those are included in Kalmus number A7858, critical edition.) This urtext edition has been edited by Wilhelm Weismann.