A bit of research will start to show which ones in Schirmer / Betti are actually by Handel -- only two of them, and one of them was butchered in editing to a "shortened" version. But there are a number of "other" sonatas NOT in the Betti edition that ARE by Handel, and they are hard to find. Also, the Betti piano parts are not authentic at all, and can be charitably described as "dreadful," as can some of Betti's written-out ornamentation for the violin. Several scholarly articles provide little help, by leaking out bits and dribbles of information hidden deep in a useless mishmash of academic blather. We can learn that some sonatas, for example, were originally written by Handel for violin, but initially published only for other instruments. Some were written by other people, but even so, remained in published editions all along.

Ultimately, there are twelve genuine Handel Sonatas for Violin, one recorder sonata which only a few claim may have been for violin (although it has never been printed for violin) and four fakes. Those fakes have become such an integral part of study for the violin that they will likely be with us forever, and they are, after all, not without merit as a source of enjoyable learning for students and teachers. That gives us seventeen total. Confusing, no?

But we don't want to do endless research. We just want to play. So here, as a service to our customers, is the truth, straight out, in an easy-to-read chart, at the bottom of this article. Which editions have which sonatas, and which is the real deal.

Of primary concern is the editing: Urtext editions are the most desirable because they are not loaded at the factory up with bad bowings, weird fingerings and dubious ornaments, so starting with an Urtext edition makes editing decisions far easier. Also, the Urtext editions tend to be far better for the clarity of printing, which really does make a big difference. German editions in particular are noteworthy for their exemplary visual clarity.

(The Bärenreiter and Henle editions of the Bach solo sonatas for violin, for example, are both so vastly superior to other editions for clarity, fidelity and ease of reading that one of them should be in every serious violinist's sheet music collection. In contrast, International editions are famous for untidy, cramped, blurry printing. They are uniformly hard to read and almost impossible to edit.)

With any Urtext edition, you will either need to get good bowing and fingering suggestions from your teacher or start from scratch and do your own, using the spirit of the composer's original intentions as your guide. The current trend is to be as faithful to the Urtext as possible, but this is, of course, entirely up to the wishes of the performer; we promise that the "Baroque Police" won't arrest you if you slur those triplets.

Stanton's has, in general, the best price for these editions. Links to order from Stanton's follow the descriptions.

The Peters "Complete" edition in two volumes (Urtext -- #7315 & #7316) "Handel Sonatas for Violin and Basso continuo" Edited by Donald Burrows, published in 1985. This is the definitive and fully inclusive edition, printed in Germany, and hence, a beautiful example of the printer's art; crystal clear and very easy to read. Unfortunately, this edition is very difficult to find, and relatively expensive. Furthermore, out of the ten works in Volume II, the five single-movement works included at the end of the volume (HWV 406, 407, 408, 412 and 46a) while interesting, are not exactly a "vitally important" part of the repertoire. However, it is the only source for the "Sonata a Cinque" which is a significant and truly lovely work, and also for the Sonata in D minor HWV 367. If you insist on having the very best, this is the only way to go. (When searching for this edition, keep in mind that Peters also publishes a mundane version of the six violin sonatas. Check the Peters catalog numbers above and insist on the Donald Burrows version to avoid confusing them.)  http://www.stantons.com/title/violin-sonatas-vol-1-urtext/7315/   ---   http://www.stantons.com/title/violin-sonatas-vol-2-urtext/7316/

The Bärenreiter edition (Urtext -- #4226) "Handel Complete Works for Violin and Basso continuo" edition is beautifully printed (a German edition) and it has almost all of the "significant" sonatas. It is not quite as complete as the two-volume Peters, but it is an excellent edition, with clarity of printing that is second to none.  http://www.stantons.com/title/complete-works-for-violin-andbasso-contin/BA4226/

The Henle edition (Urtext -- #191)  "Handel Seven Sonatas for Violin and Basso continuo" edition is beautifully clear and easy to read (a German edition) though it only includes one more authenticated sonata than the usual "Six." A bit expensive for what you get, although it is very nicely done and vastly superior to the Schirmer / Betti.  http://www.stantons.com/title/7-sonatas-for-violin-and-basso-continuo/51480191/

The Schirmer / Betti "Handel Six Sonatas for Violin and Piano" edition is available almost everywhere, inexpensive, and has been admittedly useful for generations of violin students. However, it is saturated with truly bad and completely inappropriate bowings, archaic and needlessly difficult fingerings, and questionable (to say the least) versions of written-out ornamentation -- not to mention the piano accompaniment which bears little resemblance to Handel's original notation. Also, several of the sonatas have been shortened, and not to a particularly good effect. We can certainly do better.

Several other publishers have produced versions which are simply various rehashing of the "six sonatas." They are not generally noteworthy, as most of them use Betti as the source and hence continue to use undesirable editing.

If you will give an Urtext version a try, you'll never go back.

Name	HWV	Opus	Schirmer edited by Betti	Henle urtext	Bärenreiter urtext	Peters / urtext edited by Donald Burrows (Volumes 1 & 2)
Sonata a Cinque	288					V2
Sonata in G (formerly for Recorder)	358				yes	V2
Sonata in D minor (formerly for Flute)	359 a	op 1 #4			yes	V1
Sonata in A	361	op 1 #3	"sonata #1"	yes	yes	V1
Sonata in G minor (formerly for Oboe)	364 a	op 1 #6		yes	yes	V1
Sonata in D minor	367 x	op 1 #9				V1
Sonata in G minor (NOT Handel)	368	op 1 #10	"sonata #2"	yes	yes	V2
Sonata in F (for recorder -- disputed)	369	op 1 #11
Sonata in F (by Chrysander, NOT Handel)	370	op 1 #12	"sonata #3"	yes	yes	V2
Sonata in D	371	op 1 #13	"sonata #4"	yes	yes	V2
Sonata in A (NOT Handel)	372	op 1 #14	"sonata #5"	yes	yes	V1
Sonata in E (NOT Handel)	373	op 1 #15	"sonata #6"	yes	yes	V1
Fantasia in A	406					V2
Allegro in G (unaccompanied)	407					V2
Allegro in C minor	408				yes	V2
Sonata movement in A minor	412				yes	V2
Sonatina in A	46 a					V2