In the 18th century, there was a vogue for musical clocks. Clock builders would commission pieces of music from composers and have them played by little organs operated by clockwork. Charles Clay was a London clockmaker and he commissioned George Frederick Handel to compose music for him. Mr Clay’s Clocks were made for public display; you could buy a ticket and hear the clock perform. Wealthy persons commissioned Mr Clay to build clocks for them. Many of Handel’s pieces were songs from his own Operas but some were original. These are simple pieces of just one, or at most two, parts but Handel has created clever lines that imply extra counterpoint. The pieces aren’t complicated but they were written to be played by a pin drum, so there are some issues working out how to play the notes with a human hand. David Hillary, musical director at Sacred Trinity Church in Salford, plays a suite of Music for Mr Clay’s Clocks by George Frederick Handel.
