Handel, George Frederic. (1685-1759) Belshazzar. An Oratorio.Upright folio. Title; Table of songs & Advertisement; 1 86 pp. Engraved. A very fine copy, bound in modern boards with leather plate at spine. HWV 61; Smith no. 2, p. 98. A rare lifetime impression of the oratorio composed in the summer of 1744 during "the peak of Handel's creative life." (Winton Dean, "Handel's Dramatic Oratorios," p. 435). It was first performed in London on march 27, 1745.