The central concern of this edition is to exploit as fully as possible the concentrated, implicitly pedagogical and theoretical potential of Handel’s exercises. At the beginning, there are the two-part pieces that Alfred Mann called ‘initial studies’, which are discussed and presented here for the first time in the context of the ‘Solfeggi’ tradition: two-part pieces that are used to practice the principles of outer-voice setting and diminution. This is followed by the ‘exercises in thoroughbass’, Handel’s Partimenti, which in this edition are seen for the first time in the context of Corelli style trio sonata setting. The course culminates in the exercises in Partimento Fugue. Here, too, an attempt is made to exploit the versatility of these exercises through various approaches. A glossary and a vademecum with the most important terms and schemas complete the volume.
