It’s tempting to think of older composers having one particular style, but as with composers such as Stravinsky, the styles of Baroque and even Renaissance composers changed with the times (just see Thomas Tallis).
As a young man Handel visited Italy and met with leading composers to learn (amongst other things) the Italian style of violin playing and string writing.
Aged 22 he wrote this work most likely for the church of Santa Maria di Montesanto (it’s one of the pair of churches along with Santa Maria dei Miracoli on the Pizza del Popolo in Rome, marking the northern gate of the Aurelian Walls at the entrance of Via del Corso to the city.
Composed in 1707, it is in three movements, and echoes the style of those by Pergolesi and Porpora in Naples.
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