Georg Friedrich Händel

Occasional Oratorio HWV 62

The Occasional Oratorio was written as a reaction to a political event that shook the whole of England: the Jacobite uprising of 1745 to 1746 against the Hanoverian government under the leadership of the Duke of Cumberland. Handel, who was actually working on the oratorio Judas Maccabaeus, composed the oratorio hastily and with the help of some movements from earlier works. By choosing a libretto by Newburgh Hamilton, he demonstrated his support for the government. The work was premiered at Covent Garden Theater in London on 14 February 1746.

This edition is the first to offer this rarely performed, but therefore no less masterfully composed oratorio by Handel in the quality of the Urtext of the Hallische Händel-Ausgabe, taking all sources into account. The additional reprint of further movements in the appendix, which Handel added for later performances, makes this edition all the more interesting.