R.M.20.g.6

On f. i is a list of contents; between ff. 39-40 are 3 leaves, ruled with staves but otherwise blank, not foliated; ff. 8v, 11v, 18v, 19 and 60v are ruled with staves but otherwise blank.

1. ff. 1-11. ‘O sing unto the Lord’. Anthem (Chapel Royal Anthem IVa, HWV 249a) (H-G XXXVI, No 4a, p. 219; Hallische Händel-Ausgabe III/9, 1992). The passage beginning at H-G., p. 226, line 2, bar 3, is marked ‘Rittornello’.

2. ff. 12-24v. Magnificat, for chorus, solos and orchestra. Published by Dr Chrysander (‘Supplements; containing sources to Handel’s works’, No 1) as a copy of a work by Dionigi Erba. f. 22v: ‘Deposuit potentes’ (Chrys. Supp. I, p. 43, line 2, bar 2). ‘Viola infra’ is written above the voice part, and ‘A. 1.’ below the Continuo. The MS. ends in the ‘Sicut locutus’, of which the whole of the 1st Violin and Continuo are written and the first five bars of the second Violin. The other parts are not written. Three blank leaves follow. The number of bars in each movement (excepting the incomplete ‘Sicut locutus’) have been noted by Handel, as was his custom when his MSS. were to be copied.

3. ff. 25-33v. ‘How beautiful are the feet’. (Anthem composed on Occasion of the Peace of Aachen, HWV 266). Anthem for solos (S.A.A.), five part chorus, orchestra and Organ. Another version of D and E in H-G. XLV, pp. 213, 224. The instrumental Introduction (‘Larghetto e staccato’) is altered from that to ‘As pants the hart’ (H-G. XXXIV, p. 239). The voice parts enter with a duet for two Altos (‘Mr Bayly. Solo’. ‘Mr. Menz. Solo’), another version of that in H-G. XLV, p. 224. (Anselm Bayly entered the Chapel Royal in Jan. 1740-41; Benjamin Mence in April, 1742). f. 31v. ‘NB. Glory and Worship are before Him’. Parts fro Two Trumpets and Drums. ff. 32-33v. ‘The Lord hath given strenght unto his people’. Solo (S.) for ‘The Boy’, in E major, with instrumental Introduction for Flute, Oboe and Bass: voice-part with Bass (unfigured) only. Followed by a four-part chorus (‘The Lord hath given strenght unto his people’) , with orchestra and Continuo. Incomplete; at the end of the page: ‘Segue NB’. See also R.M.20.g.8. (ff. 13-18), R.M.20.f.3. (ff. 45-48), R.M.20.f.2. (ff. 124-128, 132v).

4. ff. 34-39v. ‘How beautiful are the feet’. (HWV 267) Anthem in A major for Soprano solo, four-part chorus, orchestra (inlcuding two Trumpets and Drums) and Continuo. This setting is entirely different from that in Messiah.

5. ff. 40-81. Concerti for two orchestras, in F major (H-G. XLVII, p. 159; Hallische Händel-Ausgabe IV/16, 1983). The preface to H-G., XLVII states erroneously that the MS. contains corrections ‘and even whole pages; in J.C. Smith’s handwriting. This is not the case, and the absence of the numbers of bars at the end of each movements points to it never having been copied by one of Handel’s copyists.

1. ff. 40-65. Concerto in F Major (HWV 333).

2. ff. 65-81. Concerto in F major (HWV 334).

Frederick Nicolay, royal musician and librarian: Handel's autograph scores annotated by: circa 1760- circa 1809: Autogr.