Handel’s Passacaglia
Passacaglia in G Minor from Suite HWV 432
George Frederick Handel (1685-1759) was a gifted composer of works for the stage during the high Baroque period of the 18th century. Born in Halle, Germany, and eventually a part of the English court, Handel learned the craft of operatic and other stage-related composition during years of study in Italy. Primarily a vocally-oriented composer, his melodic gifts were second to none and produced some of the most recognizable arias from this period.
Portrait of Handel by Balthasar Denner
Handel apparently had an improvisatory composition style and would often work out his musical ideas while seated at the harpsichord. He was widely regarded as a master of improvisation at the organ and published a series of six organ concertos in 1738. But it his harpsichord suites which are of particular interest here.
1720 saw the publication of Eight Great Suites for the harpsichord and provide a window into Handel’s unique relationship to the art of keyboard playing. His use of counterpoint was less rigid than that of composers such as JS Bach and Handel’s love of forms which rely on a repeated (ostinato) bass line or harmonic progression allowed him to create a continuous series of variations, Handel said of this set of suites, “I have been obliged to publish some of the following Lessons because surreptitious and incorrect Copies of the had got Abroad. I have added several new ones to make the Work more useful.” These suites were possibly composed for his student Princess Anne, daughter of King George II.
Portrait of Princess Anne by Johann Valentin Tischbein
British music historian Charles Burney (1726-1814) described Handel’s harpsichord playing as being, “…so smooth, and the tone of the instrument so much cherished, that his fingers seemed to grow to the keys. They were so curved and compact when he played that no motion, and scarcely the finger themselves, could be discovered.”
The passacaglia (and related chaconne) were favorite forms. Having its origins in the 17th century, the passacaglia was a ‘street dance’ of rather unsavory reputation, although the earliest extant examples are Italian.
The G Minor Suite HWV 432 features perhaps one of Handel’s best-known harpsichord works in the form of a passacaglia as its last movement. This particular passacaglia focuses, in great part, on rhythmic variation, moving from dotted rhythms to even eighths to triplets to 16ths in a very effective building of momentum in a continuous string of variations. Handel also very cleverly incorporates chromatic harmonies to build suspense and color in the ultimate drive towards a final cadence.
Please enjoy this video exploration of this G Minor Passacaglia. In addition to my performance of this piece, I have included my performance of one of my favorite transcriptions of Handel’s music, the G Minor Minuet from HWV 434 reworked by German pianist and composer Wilhelm Kempff (1895-1991). Handel’s melodic prowess and coloristic harmonies are on full display in the transcription. So beautiful, so expressive.
Thanks for watching!
—Rick Ferguson