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Handel’s 25-plus harpsichord suites were probably meant for use in teaching as much as for performance, though Handel himself often played—or improvised—them for his friends, students, and employers. Two collections of suites appeared in print during his lifetime: one in 1720 (eight suites) and one in 1733 (nine). The 1720 volume was issued to counter a Dutch publisher’s publication of the same works without Handel’s consent; the 1733 volume may or may not have been approved by Handel, though in the preface to the 1720 volume Handel had promised to release more keyboard works to the public. There are also a dozen or more suites not published during Handel’s lifetime, some of which remained unknown until the twentieth century.

NOTE: The above text was sourced from All Music Guide. Its use is temporary and for purposes of placement.