Sunday 27 February 2011
Tune of the Day: Adagio by Handel
from Flute Sonata in G major
Handel's Flute Sonata in G major, Op. 1 No. 5, features two Adagios as movements one and three. We already had the first movement, and here is the third one.
This adagio, which is the only movement in the sonata to be set in a minor mode (E minor), begins with a falling, stepwise figure in the bass, whereupon the flute develops a broader, pensive melody that allows for generous ornamentation. The movement is very similar to the second Larghetto of Handel's Recorder Sonata in C major, Op. 1 No. 7.