The King Shall Rejoice (HWV 265) by George Frederic HandeI: a Critical Edition and Commentary

Abstract

Heretofore there has been no modern edition available of George Frederic Handel's anthem for chorus and orchestra, The King Shall Rejoice, companion piece to the Dettingen Te Deum. The first part of this project, an edition and commentary, is prepared in accordance with the standards of modern scholarship and at the same time meets the needs of today's performers. The project ls based on the composer's autograph manuscript corrected, where necessary, from the readings in other contemporary sources originating in Handel's circle. Except for one secondary source which is in a private collection and for the moment unavailable, all known sources have been collated prior to determining that the autograph should serve as the copy-text. The process of collating variants led to a hypothesis regarding the filiation of the sources. The edition includes a preface that discusses the events which led to the composition of the anthem and presents what lnformation we have about its first performance. The edition and critical commentary adhere to guidelines adapted from those of the Hallische Handel-Ausgabe, the new complete critical edition of Handel's works. The second part of the project consisted of a performance of the Dettingen Anthem conducted by the editor on April 26,1987 at WiIde Lake High School, Columbia Maryland, with the Columbia Baroque Ensemble based on the the score presented here.