1742 in music

Events

March 23 – Johann Sebastian Bach revives his St Matthew Passion BWV 244 with some further revisions of instrumentation and voicing at St. Thomas Church, Leipzig: the work is now scored with a ripieno soprano choir and viola da gamba and harpsichord in the second orchestra.
April 13 – First performance of Handel's oratorio Messiah staged at the Music Hall in Fishamble Street, Dublin in aid of local charities. Matthew Dubourg leads the orchestra. Handel leaves Ireland on 13 August.
December 7 – The Berlin Court Opera is inaugurated with a performance of Carl Heinrich Graun's Cleopatra e Cesare.
Joseph Benda joins the Prussian royal orchestra.

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach – 6 Harpsichord Sonatas, Wq.48
Francesco Barsanti – A Collection of Old Scots Tunes
Jean-Joseph Mouret – Motets à une et deux voix avec symphonie
Jacques-Christophe Naudot – 6 Concertos en quatre parties, for hurdy-gurdy, musette, flute, recorder, or oboe, with two violins and continuo, Op. 17
John Parry – Antient British music, or A collection of tunes, never before published, which are retained by the Cambro-Britons... part 1, containing 24 airs..., compiled with Evan Williams, contains the first appearance of the melody now used for "Deck the Halls"

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
*Harpsichord Concerto in G major, H.412, Wq. 9
*6 Harpsichord Sonatas, Wq.49
Johann Sebastian Bach
*Mer hahn en neue Oberkeet, BWV 212
*The Art of Fugue, BWV 1080, earliest known manuscript
Louis-Nicolas Clérambault – Motets, Book I
Michel Corrette – Concerto Turc
Christoph Graupner
* Trio Sonata in G minor, GWV 215
* Concerto for 2 Chalumeaux in C major, GWV 303
George Frideric Handel – Messiah
Johann Adolph Hasse – I pellegrini al sepolcro di Nostro Signore
Giovanni Battista Martini – 12 Sonate d’intavolatura per l’organo e ’l cembalo
Johann Melchio Molter
*Clarinet Concerto in D major, MWV 6.36
*Clarinet Concerto in D major, MWV 6.38
Jacques-Christophe Naudot – Suite en trio, Op. 18
Giovanni Benedetto Platti – 6 Harpsichord Sonatas 'sur le goût italien'
Franz Xaver Richter – Kemptener Te Deum
Giovanni Battista Sammartini – 12 Sonatas, Op. 2
Domenico Scarlatti – Keyboard sonatas K. 31–93 presented to the queen.

Francesco Valls – Mapa Armónico Práctico