Trio Sonata in E minor Op.5/3 HWV 398

Handel created two sets of Trio Sonatas: Opus 2, published in 1731 and Opus 5 in 1739. Basically they comprise existing music arranged for two violins and continuo.  Handel regularly recycled his material and in Opus 5 reuses music from his Chandos Anthems as well as pieces he had composed for Marie Sallé’s dance company.  It is probable that his publisher Walsh organised the arrangements and the order and choice of pieces, but it is clear from the manuscripts that Handel had some hand in the process.  The result is an outstanding suite of baroque dances. 

The Third Sonata opens with a slow sequence featuring strongly marked staccato chords while the tempo picks up for the second movement with an elegant interplay between the violins. A Sarabande follows, a popular ¾  slow Spanish dance with the emphasis on the first beat.  A lively Allemande ensues, a 4/4 dance of German origin and often used in Baroque suites. There are no tempo markings on the Rondeau but it features a graceful melody which recurs between contrasting passages.  The Suite ends typically with a Gavotte, originally a French country dance, it evolved into an elegant and formal sequence in the courts of Europe.