Water Music - wikipedia Water Music This article is about Handel suites. For the Telemann suite, see Water Music ( Telemann ). For other topics, see Water Music ( disambiguation ). This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( January 2009 ) Handel ( left ) and King George I on the River Thames, 17 July 1717. Painting by Edouard Hamman ( 1819 -- 88 ). Westminster Bridge on Lord Mayor 's Day by Canaletto, 1746 ( detail ) The Water Music is a collection of orchestral movements, often published as three suites, composed by George Frideric Handel. It premiered on 17 July 1717, in response to King George I 's request for a concert on the River Thames. The Water Music is scored for a relatively large orchestra, making it suitable for outdoor performance. Some of the music is also preserved in arrangement for a smaller orchestra. Contents 1 Structure 1.1 Suite in F major ( HWV 348 ) 1.2 Suite in D major ( HWV 349 ) 1.3 Suite in G major ( HWV 350 ) 2 First performance 3 Legends 4 Popular culture and the media 4.1 In theme parks 4.2 On television 5 Recordings 6 References 7 External links Structure The Water Music opens with a French overture and includes minuets, bourrées and hornpipes. It is divided into three suites : Suite in F major ( HWV 348 ) Overture ( Largo -- Allegro ) Adagio e staccato Allegro -- Andante -- Allegro da capo Aria Minuet Air Minuet Bourrée Hornpipe Andante Allegro ( variant ) Alla Hornpipe ( variant ) Suite in D major ( HWV 349 ) Overture ( Allegro ) Alla Hornpipe Minuet Lentement Bourrée Suite in G major ( HWV 350 ) Allegro Rigaudon Allegro Minuet Allegro There is evidence for the different arrangement found in Chrysander 's Gesellschaft edition of Handel 's works ( in volume 47, published in 1886 ), where the movements from the `` suites '' in D and G were mingled and published as one work with HWV 348. This sequence derives from Samuel Arnold 's first edition of the complete score in 1788 and the manuscript copies dating from Handel 's lifetime. Chrysander 's edition also contains an earlier version of the first two movements of HWV 349 in the key of F major composed in 1715 ( originally scored for two natural horns, two oboes, bassoon, strings and continuo ), where in addition to the horn fanfares and orchestral responses, the original version contained an elaborate concerto - like first violin part. The music in each of the suites has no set order today. First performance The first performance of the Water Music suites is recorded in The Daily Courant, the first British daily newspaper. At about 8 p.m. on Wednesday, 17 July 1717, King George I and several aristocrats boarded a royal barge at Whitehall Palace, for an excursion up the Thames toward Chelsea. The rising tide propelled the barge upstream without rowing. Another barge, provided by the City of London, contained about 50 musicians who performed Handel 's music. Many other Londoners also took to the river to hear the concert. According to The Courant, `` the whole River in a manner was covered '' with boats and barges. On arriving at Chelsea, the king left his barge, then returned to it at about 11 p.m. for the return trip. The king was so pleased with the Water Music that he ordered it to be repeated at least three times, both on the trip upstream to Chelsea and on the return, until he landed again at Whitehall. King George 's companions in the royal barge included Anne Vaughan, the Duchess of Bolton, the Duchess of Newcastle, the Duke of Kingston, the Countess of Darlington, the Countess of Godolphin, Madam Kilmarnock, and the Earl of Orkney. Handel 's orchestra is believed to have performed from about 8 p.m. until well after midnight, with only one break while the king went ashore at Chelsea. It was rumoured that the Water Music was composed to help King George steal some of the London spotlight back from the prince, who at the time, worried that his time to rule would be shortened by his father 's long life, was throwing lavish parties and dinners to compensate for it. The Water Music 's first performance on the Thames was the King 's way of reminding London that he was still there and showing he could carry out gestures even grander than his son 's. Legends Legend has it that Handel composed Water Music to regain the favour of King George I. Handel had been employed by the future king George while he was still Elector of Hanover, before he succeeded to the British throne. The composer supposedly fell out of favour for moving to London during Queen Anne 's reign. This story was first related by Handel 's early biographer John Mainwaring ; although it may have some foundation in fact, the tale as told by Mainwaring has been doubted by some Handel scholars. Another legend has it that the Elector of Hanover approved of Handel 's permanent move to London, knowing the separation between them would be temporary. Both were allegedly aware the Elector of Hanover would eventually succeed to the British throne after Queen Anne 's death. Popular culture and the media Many portions of Water Music have become familiar in popular culture. In theme parks From 1977 to 1996, Walt Disney World featured movements from both instalments of Water Music as the background music for the Electrical Water Pageant, a parade of sea creatures lit up with electric lights off the coast of the Magic Kingdom. On television Bourrée became best known as the theme music for the PBS cooking show The Frugal Gourmet. Recordings There are many recordings. The Music for the Royal Fireworks ( 1749 ), composed over 30 years later for another outdoor performance ( this time, for George II of Great Britain for the fireworks in London 's Green Park, on 27 April 1749 ), has often been paired with the Water Music on recordings. References Jump up ^ Wassermusik ( Water Music ) ( score ) ( in German ), Germany : Bib BVB ( the piece is given its German title in this edition by Friedrich Chrysander, Leipzig 1886 ). Jump up ^ The Daily Courant, 17 Jul 1717, pp. 76 -- 77, cited by Burrows, Donald ( 2012 ), Handel ( 2 ed. ), Oxford, p. 101. Jump up ^ Hogwood, Christopher ( 2005 ). Handel : Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press. p. 10. ISBN 978 - 0 - 521 - 83636 - 4. Jump up ^ Handel 's Water Music -- Recreating a Royal Spectacular ( documentary ). 2005. Jump up ^ Wilkinson, Andrew, Simply Handel, Union Square, liner notes. Jump up ^ `` Electrical Water Pageant Review '', Orlando : Disney world, Fodors External links Water Music : Scores at the International Music Score Library Project ( IMSLP ) George Frideric Handel Operas Handel 's lost Hamburg operas Almira Florindo Rodrigo Agrippina Rinaldo Il pastor fido Teseo Silla Amadigi di Gaula Radamisto Muzio Scevola Floridante Ottone Flavio Giulio Cesare Tamerlano Rodelinda Scipione Alessandro Admeto Riccardo Primo Siroe Tolomeo Lotario Partenope Poro Ezio Sosarme Orlando Arianna in Creta Parnasso in festa Oreste Ariodante Alcina Atalanta Arminio Giustino Berenice Faramondo Alessandro Severo Serse Giove in Argo Imeneo Deidamia Acis and Galatea Opera excerpts `` Lascia ch'io pianga '' `` Ombra mai fu '' `` Svegliatevi nel core '' `` Va tacito e nascosto '' Incidental music The Alchemist Alceste Oratorios Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno / Il trionfo del Tempo e della Verità / The Triumph of Time and Truth La resurrezione Brockes Passion Esther Deborah Athalia Saul Israel in Egypt L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato Messiah Structure Part I Part II Part III Der Messias ( Mozart arr. ) Samson Semele Joseph and his Brethren Hercules Belshazzar Occasional Oratorio Judas Maccabaeus Joshua Alexander Balus Susanna Solomon Theodora The Choice of Hercules Jephtha Odes and masques Aci, Galatea e Polifemo Acis and Galatea Ode for the Birthday of Queen Anne Alexander 's Feast Ode For St. Cecilia 's Day Cantatas Agrippina condotta a morire or Dunque sarà pur vero Allor ch'io dissi addio Aure soavi e lieti Clori, Tirsi e Fileno Dalla guerra amorosa Del bell'idolo mio Apollo e Dafne O lucenti, o sereni occhi Ero e Leandro Tra le fiamme ( Il consiglio ) Un ' alma innamorata Latin church music Dixit Dominus Gloria Nisi Dominus Salve Regina Anthems As Pants the Hart Zadok the Priest The Ways of Zion Do Mourn / Funeral Anthem for Queen Caroline Sing Unto God / Anthem for the Wedding of Frederick, Prince of Wales Chandos Anthem No. 1 / Jubilate in D Major `` O, be joyful in the Lord '' Wedding anthem for Princess Anne Foundling Hospital Anthem Canticles Utrecht Te Deum and Jubilate Dettingen Te Deum Queen Caroline Te Deum Oboe Oboe Concerto No. 3 Oboe Concerto No. 1 Oboe Concerto No. 2 Orchestral suites Water Music Music for the Royal Fireworks Flute, solo and XV solo sonatas 358 `` Fitzwilliam '' 359a 359b 360 361 362 363a 363b 364a 364b 365 366 367a 367b 368 369 370 371 372 Opus Organ concertos, Op. 4 Organ concertos, Op. 7 Concerti Grossi, Op. 3 Concerti grossi, Op. 6 Other Nabal Gideon Keyboard suite in D minor ( HWV 437 ) Catalogs and collections Handel Reference Database Händel - Werke - Verzeichnis Händel - Gesellschaft Hallische Händel - Ausgabe Festivals Göttingen Halle London Related articles Operas Compositions Letters and writings Will Handel at Cannons Handel House Museum Georg Händel Category : George Frideric Handel Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Water_Music&oldid=802658517 '' Categories : Suites by George Frideric Handel European court festivities 1717 compositions Hidden categories : CS1 German - language sources ( de ) Articles needing additional references from January 2009 All articles needing additional references All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from January 2017 Works with IMSLP links Articles with International Music Score Library Project links Talk Contents About Wikipedia Alemannisch Català Deutsch Español Esperanto Français 한국어 Italiano Magyar Македонски Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk nynorsk Polski Português Русский Simple English Svenska 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 27 September 2017, at 16 : 32. 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Question: where was the water music performed on july 17 1717
Answer: the River Thames