Handel's celebrated suites de pieces or lessons for the piano forte

Handel published his first set of eight keyboard suites in 1720, and by his own account did so partly to head off pirated editions already circulating in Amsterdam, which he complained were full of errors. The most famous music in the collection is the closing air and variations of the fifth suite, known since the nineteenth century as The Harmonious Blacksmith. The nickname was invented long after Handel's death, and the story attached to it, of the composer sheltering from rain in a smithy, is pure fiction.