Occasional Oratorio Oratorio in Three Parts HWV 62 Libretto by Newburgh Hamilton Edited by Merlin Channon Piano reduction by Andreas Köhs The Occasional Oratorio was composed as a reaction to a political event which shook the whole of England: the Jacobite rebellion of 1745-46 against the Hanoverian monarchy was crushed under the leadership of the Duke of Cumberland. Handel, who was working on the oratorio Judas Maccabaeus at the time, composed the oratorio quickly and reused some movements from earlier works. With the choice of a libretto by Newburgh Hamilton he demonstrated his support for the monarchy. The work was first performed on 14 February 1746 at the Covent Garden Theatre in London. For the first time this seldomly performed oratorio which nevertheless contains wonderful music is available in an Urtext edition based on the Halle Handel Edition. All available sources have been consulted. Further movements which Handel added for later performances are included in the appendix.