The Gerald Coke Handel Collection is of primary importance to scholars of the life and works of George Frederick Handel. It is the most extensive and comprehensive collection in private hands and its wider availability will be of immense service to scholarship.

Part One reproduces many scores and parts contemporary with first and early performances. Almost all the major works are represented, including notable sources of Teseo and Amadigi.

Part Two contains collections and arrangements of vocal and instrumental works. In addition to Handel, several of his English and Italian contemporaries are represented, with a number of pieces still waiting to be firmly identified and attributed.

The Shaftesbury Manuscripts are the most recent major accession to the collection, and one of the most significant purchases of music manuscripts in recent time. The fourth Earl of Shaftesbury was a contemporary of Handel, and the library is remarkable for its excellent state of preservation. The 55 manuscripts offered here represent a full cross-section of Handel's major works, and are preserved in their original states and bindings.

Guides: Series Eight 19 reels

A typescript catalog has been maintained with the collection, giving a wealth of information about the contents of the manuscripts, identifying the copyist, commenting on the relationship with early performances and other manuscripts. The relevant sections of this catalog appear on the first reel of film.

Series Eight: 53 reels

Previous title: Music Manuscripts in Major Private Collections