Details
Handel's oratorios, operas, and cantatas abound with examples of virtuoso writing for the trumpet. The arias which make up this set were selected on the basis of their musical interest and their possible use for recital or liturgical purposes. One other criterion was that the aria should terminate or be able to be concluded without compromising the integrity of the work. There are numerous instances in which Handel used a solo voice and solo trumpet within a larger choral section, or where he elided the ending of a solo aria in such a manner that to excerpt the solo section would be an inappropriate truncation of the work. The present collection therefore does not represent all the available examples of Handel's work in this medium, but includes those arias which lend themselves to independent performance. Handel's life included nearly a half-century spent in England, and most of his manuscripts are housed in the British Library in London. During the spring of 1972, these manuscripts were examined in detail and a version for solo voice, trumpet, and keyboard was prepared by reducing the orchestral parts and realizing the sparsely-figured continuo.