| Naxos |
According to the general custom of the time, Handel did not hesitate to borrow from other composers or, more often, from his own earlier work, when occasion arose for material to be used again. The date of composition of the Concerti Grossi, Opus 3, is not known. The concertos draw on Italian, French and German styles of the period, although, as a set, they lack the planned consistency of the later Concerti Grossi, Opus 6. Nevertheless there is considerable originality in the varied collection, which was published in London in 1734 by John Walsh. The concertos were said by Sir John Hawkins to have been performed for the wedding celebrations of the Princess Royal and the Prince of Orange in March 1734. It has also been suggested that they represented Handel’s contribution to the court music of Hanover in 1711, but this remains pure conjecture.
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