No. 5 in E Major, HWV 430

Paired with No. 3, it features a Courante followed by a variation movement. The variations are popularly known as “The Harmonious Blacksmith,” but this name originated in the 19th century, and the anecdote that Handel derived the idea for the variations from a blacksmith is unfounded. Furthermore, the variation movement is a transposed and revised version of an independent Chaconne, originally in G major, believed to have been composed during his Hamburg period.

The Prelude is a new composition intended for publication. It is written using motivic spinning-out, and its structure, consisting of motivic responses among four voices, chords in voices other than the main melody, and an arpeggiated cadenza at the end of the movement, is of the same type as No. 6.

In the Allemande, four voices intertwine polyphonically, including imitations between voices in sequences. Some passages from the first half of the movement recur in the second half (e.g., from m. 27, and at the end of the movement).

The Courante exhibits Italian characteristics through the prominence of the uppermost voice, sparse ornamentation, and uniform rhythm; however, there are aspects, such as anacrusis and voice exchange, that do not conform to the typical “dictionary” definition of an Italian corrente. The beginning of both the first and second halves with imitation between upper and lower voices is a common feature with No. 7.

The Air is in two-part song form. The variation techniques are very similar to those in No. 3: Doubles 1-4 feature voice exchange, while in Double 5, the upper and lower voices alternate in one-octave scales of 32nd notes, and the uppermost voice descends a scale expanded to over two octaves, bringing the movement to a brilliant close.