R.M.20.h.4

ROYAL MUSIC COLLECTION. (Händel-Gesellschaft XXI). Between ff. 76 and 77, 87 and 88, 110 and 111, 116 and 117, 134 and 135 are unfoliated single leaves, ruled with staves but otherwise blank; ff.32v, 75v and 76v are ruled with staves but otherwise blank [According to Dean, Winton, Handel’s Dramatic Oratorios and Masques, London, 1959, p. 530, it is paginated by Handel]. See also R.M.20.f.12. (ff. 49-51), R.M.20.g.14. (f. 51); for copies see R.M.18.f.5., R.M.18.b.15., R.M.19.a.7. (ff. 52-57). See also Donald Burrows and Martha J. Ronish, A Catalogue of Handel’s Musical Autographs (Oxford: Clarendon, 1994), pp. 208-211.

ff. 138. 10.25 x 11.75in. (15 x 11.5in) (17 x 10.75in) [Dean, Winton, Handel’s Dramatic Oratorios and Masques, London, 1959, p. 533 mentions 4 different sizes of paper].

Points of note:

1. f. 1. ‘Fuga’. Overture (H-G., p. 2).

2. f. 3. ‘Allegro’. Overture (H-G., p. 6).

3. f. 4v. Overture (H-G., p. 1).

4. f. 5. ‘Solomon an Oratorio. Act 1. Chorus of Priests. angefangen den 5 May. [here is the astrological symbol for Thursday]. 1748’.

5. f. 21v. ‘Ends ‘the Lord of Host is come’ (H-G., p. 61). Zadok’s air ‘Sacred raptures’ (H-G., p. 62) is not in the MS.

6. f. 22. ‘Throughout the land’ (H-G., p. 68).

7. f. 31v. At the end of the duet ‘Welcome as the dawn of day’: ‘Segue l’aria di Zadok Indulge thy faith’. The recitative ‘Sweep the string’ (H-G., p. 220), slightly altered, follows, crossed out in ink and pencil.

8. f. 32. ‘In the first Part. Zadock Recit after the Duett, Welcome as the dawn of day. betwixt N. 68 & 69’. ‘Vain are the transient beauties’ (H-G., p. 90). At the end: ‘Segue l’Aria di Zadock Indulge thy faith and wedded truth. N. 69’.

9. f. 33. ‘Indulge thy faith’ (H-G., p. 90).

10. f. 35. A setting of ‘Indulge thy faith…. or loving kind’ as a recitative; crossed out in ink. ‘My blooming fair’ (H-G., p. 94) follows.

11. f. 38. ‘May no rash intruder’ (H-G., p. 101). No tempo is marked.

12. f. 42v. ’50 minutes. Fine della parte prima May 23. [Here is the astrological symbol for Monday]. 1748. völlig 26 may [here is the astrological symbol for Thursday]. 1748’.

13. f. 43. ‘Part the Second’ (H-G., p. 111).

14. f. 52. ‘Prais’d be the Lord’ (H-G., p. 142). The last two lines read: ‘Forc’d by his Crimes I spoke a brother’s doom, and may his vices perish in his Tomb’.

15. f. 70. ‘li Ripieni del Coro. from the East unto the West. nel Atto 2do di Salomon’ (H-G., p. 177).

16. f. 71. ‘From the East’ (H-G., p. 176).

17. f. 76. End of the ripieni parts (from p, 70v.).

18. f. 79. End of ‘See the tall palm’ (H-G., p. 194).

19. ff. 79v-84. ‘Swell the full chorus’ (H-G., p. 204), with three introductory bars (instrumental) not in H-G. Marked ‘Allegro ma non troppo. The end of the chorus (ff. 83v-84) has been shortened (in ink).

20. f. 84v. ‘The shepherd shall hail him’. Recit. (H-G., Preface) and ‘Beneath the Vine’ (H-G., p. 195).

21. f. 87v., ‘Full Chorus’. ‘Swell the’. ‘Repetatr’. ’40 minutes’ ‘e finisce la parte 2da’. The first two bars only of ‘Swell the full chorus’ are written, as in H-G., p. 200.

22. f. 88. ‘Atto 3zo Symfony’.

23. f. 91. The Symphony does not end as printed in H-G. (p. 212). Two bars (‘Adagio’) lead to ‘Allegro moderato’, three bars of the 1st Violin part only written, followed by ‘Segue la fuga qui aggiuntata’.

24. f. 91v. ‘Air Lentement’ (not in H-G.) in B flat. The ‘Introduzione’ to Joshua (H-G. XVII, p. 1), also occurring in the volume of Instrumental Music, No. II (R.M.20.g.12, fol. 73v). Based on an Adagio by Muffat.

25. f. 92. ‘From Arabia’s spicy shores’ (H-G., p. 213).

26. f. 95. ‘Ritornello’ (H-G, p. 219).

27. f. 95v. ‘Sweep, sweep the string’ (H-G., p. 220), preceded by three bars of recitative, crossed out in ink.

28. f. 96. ‘Musick spread thy voice’ (H-G., p. 220). ‘Senza pause’ (at the beginning).

29. f. 117. The end of ‘Golden columns fair’ (H-G., p. 267) is followed by the beginning of an air for Zadok, with no words, incomplete, and crossed out in ink. Afterwards used in an altered form as ‘Will the sun forget’ (H-G., p. 298).

30. f. 118. ‘Praise the Lord’ (H-G., p. 268). Shortenend (in ink).

31. f. 126. Continuation of the Air on f. 117.

32. f. 126v. Gold now is common’ (H-G., p. 294).

33. f. 128v. Part of a setting of ‘Will the sun forget’ in 3/8 time, crossed out in ink.

34. f. 129. ‘Will the sun forget’ (H-G., p. 298).

35. f. 131. End of the setting of ‘Will the sun forget’ on f. 128v. ‘Adieu, fair Queen’ (H-G., p. 308).

36. f. 135. ‘The name of the wicked’ (H-G., p. 313).

37. f. 138v. ’40 minutes’. ‘S.D.G. G. F. Handel. Juin 13. [Here is the astrological symbol for Monday] 1748. aetatis 62. völlig geendiget’. The inscription has been partly trimmed away at the bottom.

George Frideric Handel, composer: Music manuscripts: 18th cent: Autogr.