“CARILLON SINFONIA from “SAUL”
…In 1738 an unusual carillon was devised for the first London performance. This Cyclopean instrument had keys like a harpsichord that operated a set of hammers striking upon anvils…The sustaining nature of carillons made the sonorities of the modern harp the likely choice for an arrangement.
DAVID’S HARP INTERLUDE from “SAUL”
…This solo harp sinfonia is Handel’s only authentic music for unaccompanied harp. It appears merely as a melodic line with figured bass in the Halle Handel edition of the score and has musical references to David’s preceding aria, “Oh Lord, whose mercies numberless.”…Fingerings have been provided over each ornament to include the upper neighboring note and to indicate the precise number of notes to be played…
GAVOTTE from “SEMELE”
…Paul Henry Lang, in his informative Handel volume, calls this dance movement “a delicately pensive gavotte whose rhythms and tone are carried over into several of the songs.” …Care has been taken to indicate all finger placement connections to ensure legato articulation and thereby illuminate the distinctive outlines of the musical phrasing.
SICILIANA from “L’ALLEGRO”
…A soft, plaintive melody with dotted rhythms travels gently over broken chords and imitative rhythmic figurations. Its minor key flavor envelops these elements creating a mood of ineffable calm…
TRIUMPHAL MARCH from “SCIPIONE”
…An impressive orchestral march immediately follows the overture in the opera’s score. It accompanies a scene depicting Scipione’s victory celebration under a triumphal arch in Carthage…the tune became an enduring favorite and continues to be used by the British Army for formal occasions. The ceremonial aspect of Handel’s vivid baroque orchestration is retained in this arrangement of the harp…” E. Schuman
Content:
Two Sinfonias from “SAUL” (1738)
Carillon Sinfonia
David’s Harp Interlude
Gavotte from “SEMELE” (1743)
Siciliana from “L’ALLEGRO” (1740)
Triumphal March from “SCIPIONE” (1726)
