Georg Friedrich Händel

March from 'Scipio'

Handel's opera Scipio was produced in 1726 and remains one of his less frequently performed works. The original production was beset by the problems of the withdrawal of a solo singer and an extremely short time span for composition. Handel made changes in later productions, but the most famous element of the opera remains this stirring March. The March was arranged for Organ by William Thomas Best, a masterful Organist of the 19th century whose recitals covered the whole field of Organ music. He was solo Organist for all the Handel festivals held at the Crystal Palace, for which one may reasonably assume that this arrangement was composed.