I would not like to do this one, but I would like to read it as an article or paper by someone else. It is or was a tradition in classical music, especially in the early 20th century, when composing a piece in the manner of a previous era, to present it as a transcription or discovery. I suspect that three pieces in our repertoire fall into that category. I have never found a source for Marcel Grandjany’s edition of the Handel Prelude and Toccata, leading me to wonder if it just might be a composition by Grandjany, likewise for the Salzedo edition of the Sarabande by Couperin, and the Zingel edition of the Handel Theme and Variations.
If someone were to explore this, I would suggest comparing motifs to other works by the composers, the use of ornaments, voicing, and any other musical aspects. We may never know the answer. It may also lie in places like the British museum, where the originals may be hidden. I think it would make these pieces all the more interesting if they were by the editors. Miss Lawrence suspected the Zingel Handel might be Zingel, something in it didn’t ring true to her. It is hard to pinpoint where in Handel’s career he might have written it. If in Germany, would there have been any harps or harpists around at that time, and if in London, does it resemble his writing at that time? It might be found in the Aylesford manuscript collection, but it is not in the published copy I purchased, though there is another Theme and Variations there.
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