In Handel's time, the musical public in London showed great interest in opera. Shortly after a new opera had premiered, simplified versions of the most important arias appeared, allowing the audience to sing and play them along. One such version is preserved in a library in The Hague: the vocal part of the original is taken over by the viola da gamba, the flute plays the part of the first violin, and the continuo remains, best played on a harpsichord.

These seven arias for three offer us even today the opportunity to learn and perform Handel arias purely instrumentally. The flute part can be played on a transverse flute or a recorder in D. Furthermore, these scores provide insight into the customs and necessities of music reception in a time before recorded music.

These seven arias for three offer us the opportunity to learn and perform Handel arias in a purely instrumental setting.

Parts:

• The confine of the life
• Diedi il core
• No non piangete
• S'è tuo piacer ch'io mora
• O scema mi il diletto
• Vedrò più liete e belle
• Lascia pure amica spene

Instrumentation: transverse flute, viola d a gamba and basso continuo.