Cryptic crossword No 3,539

Thanks Salt! Even without an official ‘theme’ this hung together very nicely, with connections between almost every clue. I enjoyed the crafty wordplay and imaginative surfaces, with faves including 9a, 10a (brilliant trickery but maybe ‘with Handel…’)11a, 12a, 20a! 1d (but annotation should read ’…central letter…’), 2d, & 21d. Minor quibblets…

Thanks Salt, that was enjoyable with my favourites being 12a, 24a,16a, 25a, 21d, 24d, and 26d. I revealed 2d and 10a. I thought 10a was a good clue but I read it incorrectly multiple times. Maybe I'll learn something from my mistake! I also enjoyed the 'family members' scattered throughout the grid.