French overtures at the keyboard: the Handel tradition
Graham Pont is a philosopher specializing in aesthetics of music and architecture. For 30 years he taught in the General Education programme at the University of New South Wales, where he introduced Australia's first undergraduate course on the Philosophy of Music (1974–88). Since 1958 he has been studying non-uniformities (‘inconsistencies’) in the notation and interpretation of Baroque music, especially that of Handel. Kenneth_pont{at}msn.com
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Abstract |
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This article examines the notation and interpretation of introductory movements of Handel's French overtures that have been performed at the keyboard since the early 18th century. Of 20 French overtures arranged by one of Handel's last immediate disciples, Jonathan Battishill (1738–1801), 12 introduce additional overdotting, never consistently. Tirades are often quickened (sometimes without overdotting); but in 14 of these overtures the runs are notated in both semiquavers and demisemiquavers. Thus a contemporary virtuoso who was remembered for his perfect imitation of Handel's keyboard style employed overdotting in some of the French overtures; but all his rhythmic and other alterations, including notes inégales, were optional rather than obligatory and inconsistent rather than uniform.
Battishill's arbitrary variations are fully supported by the numerous keyboard arrangements of Joseph Mazzinghi (c.1800–13) and John Watts (c.1822–4) and by those of later Handelians representing a continuous British tradition of free and irregular interpretation of the majestic style that survived until the 1950s. Statistical analysis of Handel's own keyboard overtures and three other major collections confirms that the consistently overdotted arrangements of William Crotch (1775–1847), which are the source of the modern interpretation, do not represent the authentic Handel tradition.
Key Words: 18th-century French overture • G. F. Handel • John Watts • Jonathan Battishill • Joseph Mazzinghi • notes inégales • overdotting • William Crotch