The ninth item in Handel's Op. 1 collection of chamber music is a B minor flute sonata, but Handel originally wrote it in D minor for either recorder or violin. It is by far Handel's most extensive recorder sonata, falling into seven movements that spread over nearly a quarter hour. First comes a Largo that carefully picks its way through a melody that nearly disintegrates in the final bars. The ensuing Vivace proceeds with a quick pace and determined air; the opening phrase and a few other elements of this movement appear in substantially different form in Handel's Water Music. The Presto features fast, bright passagework not only for recorder but also for the continuo instruments. The Adagio provides a stark contrast, with a melodic line that could double as a lament from an Italian opera of the period. Things perk up a bit with the Alla breve, the continuo chasing the recorder about a bar behind. This sonata's heart seems to be the Andante, the most extended movement here and one that sends the recorder's long, undulating melodic line over a firmly striding bass. The concluding movement is marked A tempo di menuet; although the mood is not exactly happy, this music skips more lightly than Handel's other minuets, the melody gliding across the bar lines rather than snagging at the end of each 3/4 measure.

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