The transcription of orchestral and vocal music for organ is no modern phenomenon. The practice has been going on for around five hundred years at least. Transcriptions have had a variety of purposes: pedagogical, aide-mémoire, accompanimental, or as a means of supplementing parts otherwise missing from an ensemble. When George Frideric Handel arranged, or agreed that someone else should arrange (sources are unclear on the matter), a considerable quantity of his orchestral music for keyboard instrument, his purpose was to provide playable versions of his orchestral music for the domestic market - which was quite a lucrative enterprise. In order to make the music more manageable or practical to play in the new medium, the transcriptions often involved considerable rearrangement of material.
If players compare the present Handel arrangements with their original versions (sources are given below) they will also find many editorial adjustments. As with the arrangements of Handel’s day, some of these are undertaken to make the pieces more convenient to play on the organ. However, in piece 4 -Air, and 5 -Trumpet Piece, there are more extensive alterations.
This is done so as to convert pieces which were originally settings of texts into balanced, instrumental solos; certain repeated phrases are therefore omitted. A short cadenza is also added to the Trumpet Piece to round it off.
Pieces 3 and 5 are written on two staves, in the style of 18th century arrangements. But where players feel that employing the pedals would add to the musical effect, they should unhesitatingly do so.
‘Handel with care’ may be played as a suite (the transposition of the first and final pieces have been made with this in mind) but each piece stands on its own, and provides a few more examples of Handel’s exquisite art for an instrument of he was master, but one for which he left all too little solo music.
Sources:
Overture - Arrival of the Queen of Sheba from oratorio Solomon.
Adagio - Air from Concerto Grosso op.6 nr. 10.
Allegro - Allegro from Concerto Grosso op.6 nr. 6.
Air - ‘Thou shalt bring them in’ from the oratorio Israel in Egypt.
Trumpet Piece - ‘Mirth admit me of thy crew!’ from the oratorio L’allegro, il penseroso, ed il moderato.
