French overture
The first movement, marked "ouverture" – "allegro" – "lentement", has the form a French overture. The dotted rhythms in the slow first part are similar to those Handel used in his operatic overtures. The subject of the "allegro" fugue in time, two rhythmic bars leading into four bars in semiquavers, allowed him to make every restatement sound dramatic. The fugue leads into a short concluding "lentement" passage, a variant of the material from the start.