ABSTRACT
Familiarity with the organ in secular as well as sacred spheres was thus established long before George Frideric Handel first played an organ concerto in the theatre as 'act music' during an oratorio concert in the early 1730s. The practice of creating a keyboard concerto by adapting music originally conceived for a different medium formed in Britain some years before Handel composed organ concertos for oratorio performances. Benefit concerts frequently took the form of complete performances of oratorios or similar works, sometimes taking place in the main playhouses, and at these the organ concerto found a natural outlet in programmes that differed little from normal oratorio nights. Organ inaugurations provided a fitting opportunity to demonstrate the capabilities of both instrument and soloist. It was not unusual for complete oratorios to form the backbone of such commemorative events, and the associated organ concertos must have assumed additional importance.
