Thursday 6 September 2012
Tune of the Day: Minuet by Handel
from Flute Sonata in E minor
Halle Sonata No. 2 breaks from Handel's usual sonata da chiesa pattern, but with only a minor departure. There is still the slow-fast-slow-fast sequence of movements, but instead of ending with the usual abstract piece, Handel writes a minuet, the sort of dance movement found in a sonata da camera. Unlike the preceding Grave, whose attribution is doubtful, this Minuet is clearly Handelian, a transcription of an early G minor harpsichord piece.