George Frideric Handel's "Gloria In Excelsis Deo" (HWV
deest) is a sacred solo cantata, a setting of the
Gloria, the liturgical part of the Mass, for soprano
and strings. Handel may have composed it in Germany
before departing for Italy in 1706. The composition was
lost and was only attributed to Handel in 2001.
Gloria (HWV deest, the Latin word meaning "missing"),
is a work which was missing from the Handel thematic
catalog, but was discovered at the Royal Academy of
Music's library in...(+)
George Frideric Handel's "Gloria In Excelsis Deo" (HWV
deest) is a sacred solo cantata, a setting of the
Gloria, the liturgical part of the Mass, for soprano
and strings. Handel may have composed it in Germany
before departing for Italy in 1706. The composition was
lost and was only attributed to Handel in 2001.
Gloria (HWV deest, the Latin word meaning "missing"),
is a work which was missing from the Handel thematic
catalog, but was discovered at the Royal Academy of
Music's library in 2001. Handel may have composed
Gloria, a demanding piece for a coloratura voice, two
violins and basso continuo, during his early years in
Germany prior to his departure for Italy in 1706 or in
Italy in 1707. He divided the liturgical text in eight
movements. Later he used parts of it for his
compositions Laudate pueri dominum and Utrecht
Jubilate.
The manuscript is not in Handel's hand but bound in a
collection of arias by Handel. The singer William
Savage (1720-1789) owned the volume. Probably his pupil
Robert Stevens left it to the Academy upon his death in
1837. The work was identified by Hans Joachim Marx,
professor of the University of Hamburg.
A note in the Sunday Telegraph on 11 March 2001
announced "Lost work by Handel could rival Messiah / An
unknown choral work by Handel that some music scholars
believe will come to be regarded as significant as
Messiah has been discovered in the library of the Royal
Academy of Music", but that was a sensational heading,
whereas the article described the work correctly.
"Perhaps not too many sopranos will be able to perform
this piece.", was a comment of Marx, who had found the
manuscript. Curtis Price, the principal of the Academy,
testified: "The music is fresh, exuberant and a little
wild in places, but unmistakably Handel." It was then
believed that the piece was written in Italy in 1707.
Emma Kirkby, who performed the first recording,
released in May 2001, said that "the piece has
individuality and charm, good bravura moments, and,
more important, some moments of depth, beauty, and
poignancy".
Source: Wikipedia
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloria_(Handel)).
Although originally composed for 2 Violins, Soprano and
Basso Continuo, I created this Arrangement of the
"Gloria in excelsis Deo" (HWV deest) for Flute & Piano.
