page_title: Music for the Royal Fireworks
hierarchical_section_title: Music for the Royal Fireworks
caption_attribution_description: English: Print, 1749, Giovanni Niccolo Servandoni V&amp;A Museum no. 21228 Techniques - Engraving, ink on paper Artist/designer - Giovanni Niccolo Servandoni (02/05/1695 - 19/01/1766) (designers), George Vertue (17/11/1684 - 24/07/1756) (engravers) Place - London, England Dimensions - Height 44 cm (paper), Width 57 cm (paper) Object Type - This object is a particular type of print called an engraving. Lines are cut into the flat surface of a metal plate using sharp tools. The engraving is made by transferring ink held in the lines onto a sheet of paper. Subject Depicted - The peace treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle was signed in 1748, ending the War of Austrian Succession. On 27 April 1749 a firework spectacular took place in St James's Park, London, to celebrate the Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle. This print shows the large wooden pavilion, painted to resemble stone, that was erected to launch the fireworks. The pavilion was 410 feet long and 114 feet high. The firework display was not an unqualified success: it rained on the day; the pavilion housing the fireworks caught fire and burned to the ground; and there was a public fight when the pavilion's architect, the Chevalier Servandoni, drew his sword and confronted the organiser of the event, the Duke of Montagu. People - The famous English composer George Frideric Handel wrote several pieces to celebrate the signing of the Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle. The most famous of these, the Music for the Royal Fireworks, was performed at the firework spectacular in St James's Park on 27 April 1749. The piece was a great success and is still one of Handel's most frequently performed compositions.
context_page_description: The Music for the Royal Fireworks is a suite in D major for wind instruments composed by George Frideric Handel in 1749 under contract of George II of Great Britain for the fireworks in London's Green Park on 27 April 1749. The music celebrates the end of the War of the Austrian Succession and the signing of the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1748. The work was very popular when first performed and following Handel’s death. Mozart called the work a “spectacle of English pride and joy.”
context_section_description: The Music for the Royal Fireworks (HWV 351) is a suite in D major for wind instruments composed by George Frideric Handel in 1749 under contract of George II of Great Britain for the fireworks in London's Green Park on 27 April 1749. The music celebrates the end of the War of the Austrian Succession and the signing of the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (Aachen) in 1748. The work was very popular when first performed and following Handel’s death. Mozart called the work a “spectacle of English pride and joy.”
caption: Machine for the fireworks for the peace of Aix la Chapelle in May 1749 performed in Green Park; structure designed by Franco-Italian architect Giovanni Niccolò Servandoni
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