Passacaglia (Suite in G minor, HWV 432)

The Suite in G minor, HWV 432, belongs to the set of eight harpsichord suites Handel published in London in 1720, partly to forestall the pirated editions then circulating on the continent. It opens in the manner of a French overture and closes with a passacaglia: a short bass pattern repeated while the writing above it grows steadily more elaborate. That final movement has had a life of its own — Johan Halvorsen turned it into a duo for violin and viola in 1894, and later arrangers took it further, into versions for string ensemble and for full orchestra.