In 1720, Handel published its first eight Suites for harpsichord. Among them there is a movement, namely the last of the Suite No. 5 in E major HWV 430, composed of an aria and five variations, which is famous in itself and is called The Harmonious Blacksmith (the harmonious blacksmith). There are several legends explaining the origin of the name. According to one of them, a surprise storm while working on Handel Cannons for the Duke of Chandos and took refuge in a smithy. There, the sound of hammer hitting anvil inspired this tune, whose first variation repeat the note in the right hand of the blacksmith hammering recalls.
Another variant says that what Handel was inspired melody who sang the blacksmith, which took the basis for the aria. This variant is particularly consistent with the habit of borrowing tunes that had Handel, but the fact is that both versions are false.
was not really until the nineteenth century, a time when this movement began to gain popularity as interpreted from the rest of the suite, which became known under the name The Harmonious Blacksmith . Richard Clark was the first writer who referred to this nomenclature in his book Reminescences of Handel (1836). Clark himself invented a story that the blacksmith who named the piece was William Powell, when the reality is Powell had been the pastor of the parish of Whitchurch, where Handel played the organ. That did not stop the residents of Whitchurch raise funds to dedicate a plaque to the memory of Powell the blacksmith, which was later changed to another one that is already mentioned his true profession.
More plausible seems another version which would be the harmonious blacksmith William Lintern, an apprentice blacksmith in Bath which later turned to music and opened a shop selling sheet music of Handel and other composers . Apparently, the movement Lintern published under the title question The Harmonious Blacksmith because that was his nickname (the flashlight) and the piece in question was his favorite and most often played the harpsichord.
Whatever the origin of the name, in the strictly musical there are unsolved mysteries. A bourrée Richard Jones features the same melody of the aria, but in a minor key. Copied "Handel to Handel Jones or Jones? It is not known, although the fact that a similar tune appears in Handel's opera Almira, made earlier, makes the Saxon has more credibility as possible to the original author. Let's hear
The Harmonious Blacksmith , aria and five variations (sixteenths in right hand; sixteenths in the left hand triplets sixteenth notes in the right and left hands and eighth notes in both hands) on the interpretation of Trevor Pinnock.
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