Editing George Frideric Handel (section)

== Works ==
{{Main|List of compositions by George Frideric Handel|List of operas by George Frideric Handel}}
[[File:Senesino.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Senesino]], the famous [[castrato]] from [[Siena]]]]

===Overview===
Handel's compositions include 42 operas, 24 oratorios, more than 120 cantatas, trios and duets, numerous arias, odes and serenatas, solo and trio sonatas, 18 concerti grossi, and 12 organ concertos. His most famous work, the oratorio ''[[Messiah (Handel)|Messiah]]'' with its "Hallelujah" chorus, is among the most popular works in choral music. The [[Lobkowicz Palace]] in Prague holds [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart's]] copy of ''Messiah'', complete with handwritten annotations. Among the works with opus numbers published and popularised in his lifetime are the [[Organ concertos, Op. 4 (Handel)|Organ concertos Op. 4]] and [[Organ concertos, Op. 7 (Handel)|Op. 7]], together with the [[Concerti Grossi, Op. 3 (Handel)|Opus 3]] and [[Concerti grossi, Op. 6 (Handel)|Opus 6 Concerti grossi]]; the latter incorporates an earlier organ concerto, ''[[The Cuckoo and the Nightingale (concerto)|The Cuckoo and the Nightingale]]'', in which birdsong is imitated in the upper registers of the organ. Also notable are his 16 keyboard suites, especially ''[[The Harmonious Blacksmith]]''.
<!--Handel introduced previously uncommon musical instruments in his works: the [[viola d'amore]] and [[violetta marina]] (''Orlando''),{{citation needed|date=February 2021}} the lute (''Ode for St. Cecilia's Day''),{{citation needed|date=February 2021}} three trombones (''Saul''),{{citation needed|date=February 2021}} clarinets or small high cornetts (''Tamerlano''),{{citation needed|date=February 2021}} [[theorbo]], French horn (''[[Water Music]]''),{{citation needed|date=February 2021}} lyrichord{{clarify|date=February 2021}} [[double bassoon]],{{citation needed|date=February 2021}} [[viola da gamba]],{{citation needed|date=February 2021}} [[carillon]] (bell chimes),{{citation needed|date=February 2021}} [[positive organ]]{{citation needed|date=February 2021}} and harp (''Giulio Cesare'', ''Alexander's Feast'').<ref>Textbook in CD ''Sacred Arias with Harp & Harp Duets by Rachel Ann Morgan & Edward Witsenburg.</ref>-->

=== Catalogues ===
[[File:Haendel.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.9|Handel in 1733, by [[Balthasar Denner]] (1685–1749)]]
The first published catalogue of Handel's works appeared as an appendix to Mainwaring's ''Memoirs''.{{sfn|Mainwaring|1760|pp=145–155}} Between 1787 and 1797 [[Samuel Arnold (composer)|Samuel Arnold]] compiled a 180-volume collection of Handel's works—however, it was far from complete.{{sfn|Dean|1982|p=116}} Also incomplete was the collection produced between 1843 and 1858 by the English Handel Society (founded by [[George Alexander Macfarren|Sir George Macfarren]]).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.handel-edition.com/history.htm |title=A short history of editing Handel |author=The Halle Handel Edition |access-date=3 December 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120303114021/http://www.handel-edition.com/history.htm |archive-date=3 March 2012 }}</ref>

The 105-volume ''[[Händel-Gesellschaft]]'' ("Handel Society") edition was published between 1858 and 1902 – mainly due to the efforts of [[Friedrich Chrysander]]. For modern performance, the realisation of the basso continuo reflects 19th-century practice. Vocal scores drawn from the edition were published by [[Novello & Co|Novello]] in London, but some scores, such as the vocal score to ''Samson'', are incomplete.

The continuing ''[[Hallische Händel-Ausgabe]]'' edition was first inaugurated in 1955 in the [[Halle (region)|Halle]] region in [[Saxony-Anhalt]], East Germany. It did not start as a critical edition, but after heavy criticism of the first volumes, which were performing editions without a critical apparatus (for example, the opera ''Serse'' was published with the title character recast as a tenor, reflecting pre-war German practice), it repositioned itself as a critical edition. Influenced in part by cold-war realities, editorial work was inconsistent: misprints were found in abundance and editors failed to consult important sources. In 1985, a committee was formed to establish better standards for the edition. The reunification of Germany in 1990 removed communication problems, and the volumes issued have since shown a significant improvement in standards.{{sfn|Hicks|2013}}

Between 1978 and 1986 the German academic [[Bernd Baselt]] catalogued Handel's works in his ''[[Händel-Werke-Verzeichnis]]'' publication. The catalogue has achieved wide acceptance and is used as the modern numbering system, with each of Handel's works designated an "HWV" number – for example, ''Messiah'' is catalogued as "HWV 56".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Handel |first1=George Freidrich |editor1-last=Schering |editor1-first=Arnold |editor2-last=Soldan |editor2-first=Kurt |title=Messiah: Oratorio in Three Parts, HWV 56 |publisher=C.F. Peters |location=Leipzig |url=https://imslp.org/wiki/Messiah,_HWV_56_(Handel,_George_Frideric) |access-date=23 June 2022 |archive-date=14 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220614101851/https://imslp.org/wiki/Messiah,_HWV_56_(Handel,_George_Frideric) |url-status=live }}</ref>