The Twelve Grand Concertos, HWV 319-330 (also known as Concerti Grossi, Op. 6), composed by Georg Friedrich Handel, are a series of concertos for a concertino trio of two violins and violoncello, and a four-part string orchestra with harpsichord continuo. First published in 1739 by John Walsh, they were later renamed as Op. 6 in a conscious effort to link them to Corelli's Twelve Grand Concertos. Handel dedicated a considerable amount of time to the composition of these concertos, incorporating the full range of his compositional styles. The Concertos include trio sonatas, operatic arias, French overtures, Italian sinfonias, airs, fugues, themes and variations and a variety of dances. They are now counted amongst the finest examples in the genre of baroque concerto grosso. The second concerto resembles a sonata da chiesa. From the original autograph, it is understood that Handel intended the work to have to extra movements: a fugue and a final gigue. Apparently these were later used elsewhere in the set.
