Susanna and Solomon were composed as a pair of oratorios. They are very divergent in subject matter, style, content, and purpose. Susanna is almost a light chamber opera, and is heavily indebted to English music, especially the type of music that Handel would have heard around him in London. Many musicologists attribute its "English" sound to the influence of Thomas Arne, as well as folk music and folk idioms. The music is indebted in its rhythmic cadences to the English language, its rhythms, and speech patterns. Although there are many da capo arias, which allies this oratorio to Italian opera, the tunes are light.

The story is taken from the Book of Daniel, but really has the character of a folk tale, and there is ample room for levity. The subject matter of the story celebrates the joys of carnal love, and pokes fun at lechery and "purple passions." Susanna's character is exemplary; she is beautiful, virtuous, and madly in love with her husband Joachim. She is beset by two old wicked judges, the first of whom is portrayed as a guilt-ridden lecher and given to a tenor voice. The second lecher is a buffo bass role. He has no qualms about his lust, and pursues Susanna shamelessly. Handel has opportunity to write comedic music, as well as beautiful ballads and arias that are sincere, melodious, and artless. One of the highlights is the trio between Susanna and the two lecher/elders. They are each given their own accompaniment, and then their music is combined very cleverly to produce a type of divergent trio. The buffo bass forms the comic bottom, and is broadly accompanied in unison fashion, while the first elder has homophonic chords beneath Susanna's imitative prattle.

Susanna's premier evening of February 10, 1749, played to a full house, but predictions were made that it would not survive, and they were right. The English public was quite shocked at the provocative story, and confused at having their opera and oratorio mixed together in such a fashion. Although a thoroughly entertaining and sophisticated work, it is rarely heard even today. The librettist for Susanna is unknown. Although he wrote into the libretto a fine chamber opera, he added many ponderous choruses in an effort to keep the flavor of a traditional oratorio. Although they are somewhat out of place in this work, they are written with Handel's customary flair.

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