Unlike the first collection, which was compiled and published by the composer himself in 1720, the first edition of the second collection, Suite de Pieces Pour le CLAVECIN. COMPOSES par G. F. Handel. SECOND VOLUME, was published in 1730 by the London publisher Walsh, without the composer's authorization, imitating the first collection. It is presumed that Walsh capitalized on Handel's indication in the preface to the first collection that he would publish a sequel if the collection was well-received.

Most of the included works were previously published, with many being Handel's early compositions. It is said that Walsh created the plates for HWV 434, 437-440 based on the Roger edition or a fair copy intended for it. The second edition of the collection is said to have been published from late 1730 to early 1731, following the first edition.

Subsequently, Walsh's son (Walsh junior) took over the management of the publishing house. In contrast to his father, the son was able to establish a good relationship with Handel personally. As a result, the second edition required the composer's consent, and a new edition was published by Walsh junior with an altered order of pieces (though the plates still contained errors). While speculation has arisen that the order of pieces might have followed the composer's own suggestions, the details remain unclear to this day.

For many years, the publication year of the new edition by Walsh junior was considered to be around 1733, but the exact date has not yet been determined.

HWV436 d-moll

A suite consisting of traditional dance movements. The second movement, Allegro, is effectively an Italianate Corrente, and the third movement, Air, can be regarded as a Sarabande. The fourth movement, Minuet, features three variations, following an old tradition of placing a set of variations as the final movement. This suite is a revised version from Handel's Hamburg or Hanover period, revised around 1722-26, and the Minuet is said to have been added during the revision. The motivic material for the Allemande and Gigue derives from Suite HWV 449.

In the first half of the Allemande, the music concludes in the dominant key, passing through the relative key from the tonic. The section in the relative key introduces structural novelties, such as descending figures with suspensions and sequences of one-beat motives, which differ from the preceding section and create a contrast. The second half begins in the tonic, passes through the subdominant, and returns to the tonic. From measure 20, the half-measure descending motive from the beginning of the movement appears continuously, and from measure 23 onwards, it corresponds almost entirely to the passage from measure 10 onwards.

The Allegro is a movement with clear formal divisions, concluding in four-measure phrases. Throughout, the right hand dominates the melodic voice, supported by the left hand's eighth-note figuration.

The Air is in a three-part song form, ||: a :||: b a’ :||. In the middle section, the intervals at which the melodic line alternates between ascending and descending become shorter, creating a contrast with section 'a' not only in tonality but also in melodic structure. The cadential melodic figure at the end of the movement is a cadential pattern known as the 'Almira Cadence,' said to have been used by Handel from his Halle period until the end of 1707, and particularly frequently in the opera Almira.

The Gigue begins with partial imitation between both hands, a common feature also seen in the first collection. The dominant pedal point that prepares the modulation to the relative key before the repeat becomes key in emphasizing the modulation to the dominant in the middle section, and at the end of the movement, it confirms the return to the tonic, connecting the music to the final four measures before the repeat.

In the first variation of the Minuet, the melodic contour of the theme is traced by the right hand in a nearly uniform rhythm. In the second variation, the eighth-note rhythm shifts to the left hand, while the right hand varies the thematic melody above it. However, many parts of the notated thematic melodic figure are identical to the original, suggesting that arbitrary ornamentation might have been applied in actual performance. The third variation centers on parallel thirds in both hands. The shift in sonority from chordal progression in thirds to a single melody corresponds to the structure of the theme.