George Frideric Handel

Chaconne in G major, HWV 435

c. 1705–1717

The chaconne exists in five versions.

The first version exists in manuscript sources dating from c. 1705. It includes a short figured-bass introduction before the main theme and a short conclusion after the last variation; the orchestral ritornello in G major (HWV 343) from 1739 could be an elaboration of this introduction. The second version exists as a fragment in a single manuscript source. The two versions have few significant differences to each other.

The third and fourth versions are from respectively the editions by Jeanne Roger (c. 1721) and John Walsh (1733), but originate earlier. These two versions have few significant differences to each other; the most notable are found in the ninth and tenth variations.

The fifth, final version exists in manuscript sources dating from c. 1717 and was not published in Handel’s lifetime.

The relationships between the variations are summarised by the table below. Note further that the ninth variation (in G major) of the first version was re-worked as the thirteenth variation (in G minor) of the fourth and fifth versions.

first version	fourth version	fifth version
theme	theme	theme
var. 1	var. 1	var. 1
var. 2	var. 2	var. 2
var. 3	var. 3	var. 3
var. 4	var. 4	var. 4
var. 5	var. 5	var. 5
var. 6	var. 6	var. 6
var. 7	var. 7	var. 7
var. 8	var. 8	var. 8
var. 9	–	–
var. 10	var. 9	var. 9
var. 11	var. 10	var. 10
var. 12	var. 11	var. 11
var. 13	var. 12	var. 12
–	var. 13	var. 13
var. 14	var. 14	var. 14
var. 15	var. 15	var. 15
–	var. 16	var. 16
var. 16	–	var. 17
var. 17	var. 17	–
var. 18	var. 18	–
var. 19	var. 19	var. 19
var. 20	var. 20	var. 18
var. 21	var. 21	var. 20

For a more detailed description, see the relevant volumes of the Hallische Händel-Ausgabe (Serie IV, Band 5: Klavierwerke II; Bärenreiter, 1999, and Serie IV, Band 7: Klavierwerke I–IV (Kritische Bericht); Bärenreiter, 2000), and the catalogue of Bernd Baselt (Händel-Handbuch, Band 3: Thematisch-systematisches Verzeichnis: Instrumentalmusik, Pasticci, Fragmente; Bärenreiter, 1986).