In 1729, Handel made his way to Halle to see his old mother for the last time. According to legend, while in her home, he found a collection of poems by pastor Heinrich Brockes, published in 1721, exalting the wonders of Nature—which were seen as the manifestation of the Creator’s goodness. Upon returning to London, he set the poems to music with great finesse in his Nine German Arias for soprano and solo instrument—a rare example of the use of his mother tongue in his own work…