Handel: Pifa from Messiah, HWV 56

Description

This edition of George Frideric Handel's (1685-1759) most famous work was adapted for performances in Vienna by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791). Suggested by Gottfried van Swieten, the German libretto is based largely on Martin Luther's translation of the Bible. Mozart re-orchestrated the Majority of Handel's work, with the addition of wind instruments making up the largest part of the changes, although it is also an abridgement of Handel's original with Mozart even partly re-composing a few sections. The arrangement by Mozart, which premiered at the home of Johann Esterházy on March 6th, 1789 with Mozart conducting, was first published in 1803, and it played a large part in making Messiah Handel's most widely known oratorio. The Pifa (or Sinfonia Pastorale) is a purely instrumental movement that takes place during the first part of the oratorio.

Instrumentation: 1+Picc.2.2.2: 2.0.0.0: Str (4-4-3-3-3 in set).