Largo (Handel; transcription from 'Xerxes')

Handel's grand largo transcribed for the piano. I've seen a number of transcriptions of this piece around; this one is from my grandmother's music book from around 1900 or so. Acccompanied with pictures from around a river near where I live.

I've recently posted a version of this song played on the panpipes.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• handel
• largo
• xerxes
• classical
• piano
• music
• transcription

[laskerono1]

this is heaven - you can`t get any more of it

[GlenHoban]

:-)

I love this piece of music; it has brought me comfort during some very sad times.

[divacondenada]

Tudo bem que seja um largo, mas isso é  música barroca, não romantica!!!

[kaibzolis]

haha! kunstbanause...

[nakedBison69]

you can't be serious...celtic woman are women who look and sound like the angels that they are

[kaibzolis]

you can't be serious... i hate celtic woman for what they do with masterpieces.

[nakedBison69]

Bach's Joy of Man's Desiring is one of my all time favorite pieces of Baroque music. One version I particularly enjoy is that which is sung by a group called Celtic Woman

[GlenHoban]

I generally agree about not forcing oneself to do things, but for me it's been a matter of playing a certain piece for 25 years (Chopin's first etude), and having it still be too slow. I don't want to wait another 25 years! ;) It's not so much a matter of forcing myself...as it's...hmmm.... wait... maybe it is! :P

If you like slow music, you might like to check out a video of Myra Hess's transcription of "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring". It's a piece I'm very fond of and play almost every day.

[nakedBison69]

well, if one has to force it, then i say, forget it. i have unfortunately had to give away my piano, but should I ever get it back, what i would like to do is make a program for myself, consisting of a total of 60 minutes of piano music written by the five greatest musical composers of all time (Handel, Bach, Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven) that is at an Adagio/Largo pace.

[GlenHoban]

I find this a very moving song, very comforting, grand and solemn. I played it a lot in the months following my partner's death last year.

With regards to speed, I've heard that Rachmaninoff always practiced slow. It is a good idea to start slow, but for myself, I've found that after a certain point there seems to be a bit of a 'wall' one must somehow hurdle. The pieces just were NOT getting faster on their own, and I had to apply the metronome!