Georg Friedrich Händel (1685 – 1759) was a German, later British, baroque composer who spent the bulk of his career in London, becoming well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, and organ concertos. Handel received important training in Halle and worked as a composer in Hamburg and Italy before settling in London in 1712; he became a naturalised British subject in 1727. He was strongly influenced both by the great composers of the Italian Baroque and by the middle-German polyphonic choral tradition.

The 14 sonatas published as Handel's "Op. 1" have a complex history. Composed at various stages in his career, they were first issued under that designation by the Amsterdam publisher Roger in the 1720s, a publication rapidly followed around 1726 by a "more correct" but equally unauthorized edition from Handel's London publisher, John Walsh. In fact, modern comparison with Handel's autograph of both publications has revealed serious errors. The Sonata in C minor for Oboe and Bass Continuo, which was published as No. 8 in the Roger and Walsh collections, is one of the earlier works included, being generally accepted by Handel scholars as having been composed during around 1711 or 1712, the period when he first settled in London following the sensational success of his opera Rinaldo in February 1711. During the early years of the eighteenth century, the oboe and recorder (both of which were at this time played by the same performer) challenged the previous hegemony of the violin as a solo instrument in sonatas, although this is the only oboe sonata included in "Op. 1." There are four short movements, an expressive Largo, an Allegro based on a chromatic theme, an Adagio, and a lively concluding Bourrée anglaise.

Source: AllMusic (https://www.allmusic.com/composition/oboe-sonata-in-c- minor-op1-8-hwv-366-mc0002394682).

Although originally written for Recorder & Keyboard, I created this Interpretation of the Sonata in E Minor (HWV 359 Opus 1 No. 1) for Flute & Strings (2 Violins, Viola & Cello).