8 Great Suites, HWV 426-433

Historical context

Handel’s “Suites de Pièces pour le Clavecin,” his First Set of Lessons for the Harpsichord, was published on November 14, 1720, at the price of one guinea. Engraved on copper plates, this first issue was a 94-page oblong folio, printed “for the Author,” probably by John Cluer. As Handel stated on November 14, 1720, and as reported in the Daily Courant that day, he was “obhged to publish some of the following Lessons, because surrepticious and incorrect Copies of them had got Abroad,” and added “several new ones to make the Work more usefull.” This collection contains eight suites, one of which famously ends with variations on an air known since the nineteenth century as ‘The Harmonious Blacksmith,’ though the story of Handel being inspired by a blacksmith for this piece is legendary.

According to the book, these Suites were highly popular, holding a position similar to Beethoven’s Sonatas during the greater part of the eighteenth century, and their beauty was considered imperishable. Despite the success of this first volume, Handel did not publish a second volume until 1733. Walsh later reprinted the first volume in 1733 with Handel’s authority, and Arnold reprinted both the first and second sets in 1793. The German Handel Society reproduced them again in 1859 with additional pieces.

Drawn from Deutsch, Otto Erich, 1883-1967, Handel, a documentary biography (1955); Rockstro, W. S. (William Smyth), 1823-1895, The life of George Frederick Handel (1883) — public domain, archive.org.