Sonatine en Si b majeur HWV 585

About this work

Handel’s Sonatina, HWV 585, fits into nineteen bars in B-flat major. A short semiquaver figure immediately passes between the hands and creates a close dialogue. The two staves are not simply melody and accompaniment: each takes up fragments, prepares cadences and contributes to the contrapuntal motion.

The piece is brief, yet trills, overlapping motifs and changes of register require precise articulation. Some entries begin before the previous one has ended. Long notes must therefore be sustained while quick figures retain air around them. Cadences clearly shape the route towards the final B-flat close.

Locate every appearance of the opening motif and play it alone in both hands. Join the voices slowly without pedal, holding long values to their full duration. Place trills over a steady pulse and lighten their resolution. Once the counterpoint is clear, increase the pace without hardening the semiquavers.

What the document containsDocument: The document contains 1 pages in PDF format. A MIDI file also helps locate the continuity and entries. The one-page PDF contains the complete Sonatina, HWV 585: 19 bars with imitation, semiquavers and trills.The score matches Mutopia Project record 98. The PDF credits David Maddock for the engraving and states that it was placed in the public domain. The file preserved by LesPartitions.info can be compared with the reference catalogue. Following that check, LesPartitions.info separates established facts from information that remains incomplete.