Keyboard Works for Solo Instrument (Dover Classical Piano Music)

For some reason I had never investigated the Handel keyboard suites until a renewed interest in playing the piano for pleasure caused me to start checking out all sorts of things I wasn't familiar with. Listening to the excellent recordings of the complete suites by Gavrilov and Richter on EMI  Handel: Keyboard Suites, Vol. 1 ; Handel: Keyboard Suites, Vol. 2; Beethoven: Piano Sonata, Op. 31/2  made me want to have this music to play. I was waffling about purchasing this Dover edition for a bit since I wasn't sure about the typeface and there were no fingerings. After realizing that most other editions required buying two books, I decided to pick this one up and am extremely pleased with it. The typeface and layout are perfectly manageable and it's nice to have things like the zippy Gigue in Suite 1 complete on two pages so there's no need for a pageturn. The binding is flexible enough to let the 150-odd pages lie flat on the rack without major gyrations. It's nice to get to know more of Handel's keyboard output beyond the "Harmonious Blacksmith" variations from suite 5 and the ubiquitous Sarabande from suite 11.The volume contains volume 2 of the Handel Gesellschaft edition of the keyboard works. HG numbers and G (Grove) numbers are given but no HWV numbers. I'm listing the complete contents with the HWV numbers for the suites which is how most recordings identify them. Highly recommended.Full contents:Capriccio F HG II/iii/8 G183Capriccio g HG II/ii/3 G270Chaconne F HG II/iii/5G184Chaconne G with 21 Vars HG II/ii/2 HWV 435Chaconne with 32 Vars G HG II/ii/9 G228Fantasia C HG II/iii/4 G60Fugue c HG II/iv/6 G83Fugue g HG II/iv/1Fugue G HG II/iv/2 G231Fugue in a HG II/iv/5 (G17)Fugue in B fl HG II.iv/3 G37Fugue in b HG II/iv/4 G27Keyboard Ste 01 A HWV 426Keyboard Ste 02 F HWV 427Keyboard Ste 03 d HWV 428Keyboard Ste 04 e HWV 429Keyboard Ste 05 E HWV 430Keyboard Ste 06 f# HWV 431Keyboard Ste 07 g HWV 432Keyboard Ste 08 f HWV433Keyboard Ste 09 g min HWV 439Keyboard Ste 10 d min HWV 436Keyboard Ste 11 d min HWV 437Keyboard Ste 12 e min HWV 438Keyboard Ste 13 B fl HWV 440Keyboard Ste 14 G HWV 441Keyboard Ste 15 d min HWV 447Keyboard Ste 16 G min HWV 452Minuet g HG II/ii/1 G242Prelude and Lesson a HG II/iii/6 G18/19)Prelude and Sonata (Allegro) g HG II/iii/9 G265/G266Sonata C HG II/iii/11 G59Sonatina B fl HG II/iii/10 G40

There is a lot of music for the money here. The pieces are well laid out. The trouble is that there are no fingering suggestions. Some of these suites are like three part harmony, so you have to figure out which hand is going to play the third part, which is not so trivial sometimes. You therefore have to enjoy the puzzle of figuring that out at the front end before you can get really playing. That said, some of the music in here is absolutely gorgeous and under-recognized in my opinion. Check out Keith Jarrett's recording of the Händel piano suites too. Enjoy.

Good price for the complete set of Handel's keyboard works. Very disappointed with the editor's choice in organizing the pieces. It is not organized in published order, but in key starting with A all the way to G. So that the first published work, Suites de Pieces Pour le Clavecin, with the "Eight Great Sonatas" are organized thus, Suite no. 1 p. 1, no. 2 p. 81, no. 3 p. 41, and so forth. Can you imagine doing that with Beethoven? His 32 sonatas organized by key instead of opus number? HWV number would have been a better choice.

this is a classic compilation of keyboard works that contain some of his best known works in a wonderfully organized collection

Beautiful edition. A pleasure to work you. Uncommonly fine attention to detail in the reproduction of the score. The binding is firm and will obviously last over years of use.

I have played all of my life and love the seeming simplicity of Handel. This is a great compilation for an intermediate to advanced pianist.

I love Dover additions. Always beautiful and easy to read.

I like this.

I'm really glad I bought this. The studies are so inventive and such fun to learn and to play. There's no fingering, so you have to do that yourself, which is no bad thing. I'm guessing level is intermediate to advanced.

Clearly printed. Excellent value for the amount of music you get in this book

Handel's Keyboard works are magnificent. If you want Handel's complete Keyboard works, then YOU MUST BUY this BOOK. Nice is the binding.