At the beginning of the 18th century, the recorder enjoyed great popularity as a solo instrument for amateurs. Among these were also the princesses of the English court, for whose musical entertainment and training Handel’s six recorder sonatas were probably written in 1725/26. Only four of them appeared shortly thereafter in print and thus also reached a broader audience; the other two were first discovered for the recorder in the 20th century.

Thanks to their melodic and rhythmic incisivene...