Handel's Early Musical Development

Though the period of Handel's visit to Italy—1706 to 1710—has rightly been regarded as crucial to the formation of his mature style, study of the nature and extent of the development has been hindered by incorrect chronology of the music of the Italian period. Furthermore, assessment of the music written before 1706—essential to an appreciation of the effects of the Italian visit—has been even more difficult because of over-ready acceptance of the authenticity of many supposed early works. The research of the last twenty years has brought to light much new information about Handel's work in Italy, establishing the dates and circumstances of composition of a number of major works. Associating musical features with independently determined dates not only points out the course of the composer's development, but also allows dates to be assigned on stylistic grounds when there are clear musical affinities with datable works and other evidence is lacking. The limited compass of this paper precludes travelling far down any of the paths the new research has opened up, and is mainly concerned with the large-scale works; but it may suggest a way of approach. As the main achievements of the most recent work have yet to be incorporated in any Handel biography, a summary will be worthwhile.