George Fredric Handel

Some Handel Bars

When George Fredric Handel needed to draw crowds to performances of his new oratorios, he discovered that they’d come to see HIM play the organ. Now that’s star-power. And although the ravages of time have been less kind to some of his contemporaries, Handel’s concertos, and specifically those written for the organ, are still among the most delightful concert works ever devised from that period.

Listen to the program

Program Broadcast dates:

November 13, 2000

Links and Resources

George Frideric Handel

Featured Organs

1745 Stumm organ at the Pauluskirche, Kirchheimbolanden, Germany
Forster & Andrews Organ, Sacred Heart Church, Australia
(1994 Goetze & Gwynn/Saint Lawrence, Whitchurch, Edgware, England, UK)

Music played in the program

( Key to abbreviations)

HANDEL: Concerto a due cori in F –German Natural Horn Soloists; Franz Raml (1785 Holzhey/Saint Verena Parish Church, Rot-an-der-Rot, Germany) MD&G CD-6050762

HANDEL: Organ Concerto No. 8 in A, Op. 7, no. 2 –Concerto Amsterdam/Jaap Schröder, conductor; Daniel Chorzempa (1780 Künckel/Church of Saints Ann and Mary, Haarlem, The Netherlands) Musical Heritage CD-522466

HANDEL (?): Aria –Mstislav Rostropovich, cello; Herbert Tachezi (1991 Mander/Saint Giles Church, Cripplegate, England, London, UK) Teldec CD-77308

HANDEL: 4 Pieces for Musical Clock –Olivier Latry (1745 Stumm/Pauluskirche, Kirchheimbolanden, Germany) BNL CD-112792

HANDEL: Minuet, from Berenice –Herman van Vliet (1845 Naber/Sint Joriskerk, Amersfoort, The Netherlands) Festivo CD-118

HANDEL: Rinaldo Overture –Pastor de Lasala (1882 Forster & Andrews/Sacred Heart Church, Mosman, Australia) MOA CD-002

HANDEL: March, fr The Occasional Oratorio –Richard Cummins (1926 Skinner; 1980 Möller/Greene Memorial United Methodist Church, Roanoke, VA) GMUMC CD-25198

HANDEL: Organ Concerto in g, Op. 7, no. 5 –Brandenburg Consort/Roy Goodman, conductor; Paul Nicholson (1994 Goetze & Gwynn/Saint Lawrence, Whitchurch, Edgware, England, UK) Hyperion CD-67291/2

HANDEL: Royal Fireworks Suite –Collegium Antiquum/Mary Jane Newman; Anthony Newman (Berkshire; 1993 Russell additions/Presbyterian Church of Mount Kisco, NY) Becker Classics CD-9401