"I have been obliged to publish some of
the following lessons because surreptious and incorrect copies
of them had got abroad. I have added several new ones to make
the Work more usefull (...)". With this sentence begins the
preface to the collection of eight suites, which Handel published
in 1720. The fact that some of his keyboard pieces were getting
around in corrupt copies was only one of the reasons that forced
Handel to publish his suites. The other was that the London publisher
John Walsh, in collaboration with his Amsterdam colleague Jeanne
Roger, was going to publish a pirate edition.
That such a pirate edition was prepared and that
many copies of Handel’s keyboard works were getting around is
an indication of his stature as a composer. Therefore it is not
surprising that the publication of 1720 had great success. In
London it was reprinted, and editions were also published in Amsterdam
and Paris. In the second half of the 18th century the suites were
republished in London, but there were also editions in Berlin
and Vienna. The total number of different editions in the 18th
century is around 15. Even after the disappearance of the harpsichord
Handel’s suites continued to be popular. Around 1810 they were
again published under the title "Handel’s Celebrated Suites
de Pieces or Lessons for the Piano Forte".
It is not known when Handel composed his keyboard
works. A number of them probably date from his youth in Germany.
His teacher Friedrich Wilhelm Zachow is known to have owned a
large collection of German and Italian keyboard music. And French
music was well known in Germany when Handel lived there. So the
very fact that Handel’s suites show a wide range of influences
– German, Italian and French – doesn’t necessarily mean that they
were written after his stay in Italy. At the same time it is likely
that some of his keyboard works were written after his arrival
in England. It is suggested that some of them were used for keyboard
In these suites Handel shows his independence
towards all the styles he had got to know. Although they are called
‘suites’, not a single one of them follows the usual design of
the suite. The most traditional is the 4th suite, which contains
all four traditional dances of the suite: allemande, courante,
sarabande and gigue. But here Handel breaks with tradition by
opening the work with an allegro in form of a fugue. The suite
no. 2, on the other hand, is completely out of line: with its
sequence of adagio, allegro, adagio and allegro it follows the
pattern of the Italian ‘sonata da chiesa’.
It is especially the first movements – usually
called ‘praeludium’ – which demonstrate French influence. They
are strongly reminiscent of the ‘préludes non mesurés’
which are so characteristic of the music of the French ‘clavecinistes’.
In his liner notes Wolfgang Kostujak states that
the German influence is shown in particular in the use of German
traditional songs, which Handel uses in three suites: the ‘airs’
in the Suites 3 and 5 and the passacaille in the 7th Suite.
The cosmopolitan character of Handel’s music
makes it impossible to decide what is the ‘right’ harpsichord
to play his music. Ludger Rémy has chosen a copy of a German
harpsichord from the time of Handel’s youth. Considering the likelihood
that a number of Handel’s keyboard pieces were written during
his years in Germany that is perfectly defendable. I wonder, though,
why the pitch a=c390 Hz, which was common in France at the time,
is used here.
The booklet contains an interesting short ‘Essay
on Handel’s Harpsichord Suites’ by Ludger Rémy. As far
as I can see his remarks about the way he deals with Handel’s
suites have far wider implications. He stresses that the music
as written down by the composer is only a partial reflection of
the way the composer wanted his music to be played. He quotes
François Couperin who said, " (...) we notate in a
way departing from our true execution". He also refers to
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, who warns against ‘changes’ which "are
against the composition, against the affect, and against the interrelation
of the ideas; an unpleasant matter for many a composer",
but also says: "regardless of these difficulties and of the
misuse involved, the good modifications retain their value at
all times." It makes Ludger Rémy answer the question
if you (meaning the performer) can "supply voices and add
notes" with "yes, you should!"
It is therefore with considerable freedom that
Ludger Rémy plays these suites. He constantly keeps the
listener on his toes. The adagio from Suite no. 2 is suitable
to demonstrate Rémy’s interpretation: the way the chords
in the left hand are performed is very differentiated, the upper
part is played with just the right amount of rhythmic freedom
to give the impression it is improvised – it has some traces of
a recitative – and ornaments are added to those Handel already
has written down. And Rémy desynchronises left and right
hand now and then which makes the lines more independent from
each other and enhances the improvisatory character of the piece.
Sometimes the effect of chords is enhanced by
short pauses which Rémy creates by abridging the preceding
notes. He uses rubato very effectively, but doesn’t avoid strictly
observing the rhythm if that is desirable.
And I have to mention the passacaille from Suite
no. 7: instead of simply playing the closing chord he adds an
appoggiatura which creates a strong dissonant that is resolved
after a short hesitation.
The tempi are generally well-chosen. For example
the andante from the Suite no. 7 is played with the right walking
pace, which only at some moments slows down a little.
Even if one basically agrees with the approach
of the performer – which I do - the actual decisions are open
for debate. For example, the ‘drone’ in the bass in the gigue
from Suite no. 8 loses its effect a little when ornaments are
added. One could argue that maybe Handel just wanted this drone
to be loud and clear – more than it is here.
Or take the passacaille from Suite no. 7. Rémy
first plays the eight notes the piece is based upon: first in
bare form, then harmonised, and only then, after a short transitional
passage, the passacaille itself begins. Is there any musical reason
for this, or could we consider this a little didactic?
The booklet contains well-written liner notes
by Wolfgang Kostujak, but I would have liked a more detailed description
of the individual suites and movements. The tracklist contains
an error: for the Suite no. 2 the key of D major has been given,
although it is in F major. Strangely enough the HWV numbers are
not in the tracklist, although they are referred to in the liner
notes. Therefore I have added them.
A recording like this is bound to raise some
questions. But that is a good thing. It means that it attracts
and holds the listener’s attention. As far as I am concerned,
this is the most dramatic and exciting recording of Handel’s keyboard
suites I have ever heard.
Johan van Veen