Handel Water Music Sheet Music, Program Notes and recordings

A Royal River Party

The premiere of the Water Music was the blockbuster event of the 1717 London summer season. A contemporary newspaper report vividly described the scene: "the whole River in a manner was cover'd" with boats and barges of Londoners eager to catch a glimpse of the King and hear the new music. The procession began at Whitehall Palace around 8 p. m. and traveled five miles upriver to Chelsea. The King’s barge was accompanied by a City Company Barge for the musicians, "wherein were 50 instruments of all sorts, who play'd all the Way from Lambeth. . . the finest Symphonies, compos'd express for this Occasion, by Mr. Handel. " The concert lasted through supper and the return journey, ending around 3 a. m. One of the most enduring legends about the event is that it was an act of reconciliation. Years earlier, Handel had been in the employ of the Elector of Hanover. When he took an extended leave in London and failed to return, he angered his employer. In a twist of fate, that same Elector became King George I of Great Britain in 1714, supposedly leaving Handel in the royal doghouse. This spectacular concert, the story goes, was Handel’s grand and successful apology. While historians now believe this story to be a myth, it has added a wonderful layer of theatrical romance to an already legendary event.

The Baroque Orchestral Suite A Collection of Dances

The Water Music is a supreme example of the Baroque orchestral suite. This genre was a collection of instrumental pieces, most of which were based on popular courtly or rustic dance forms of the day. These suites were typically international in flavor, often mixing French dances (like the bourrée and minuet), Italian forms (the sarabande), and English dances (the hornpipe). They were usually preceded by a grand French overture to set a majestic tone. Handel’s genius was in taking this popular form and elevating it with his brilliant melodic invention, dramatic flair, and masterful orchestration.

The Suite in F Major (HWV 348): The Horn Suite Alla Hornpipe

The collection is now typically organized into three suites based on key and instrumentation. The first, in F major, is the most famous and is often called the "Horn Suite" due to its prominent and brilliant writing for two solo horns. This was a practical as well as an artistic choice, as the loud, penetrating sound of the horns was ideal for carrying across the open water. The suite opens with a majestic Overture and contains a series of beautiful airs and minuets. Its most celebrated movement is the famous Alla Hornpipe. A hornpipe is a lively English folk dance. Handel’s version is a masterpiece of infectious rhythm and brilliant dialogue, with the strings and horns joyfully trading the main theme back and forth. It is one of the most joyful and instantly recognizable melodies in all of classical music.

The Suite in D Major (HWV 349): The Trumpet Suite Ceremonial Splendor

The second suite, in D major, has a brighter, more brilliant, and ceremonial character, largely due to its prominent use of trumpets. The key of D major was associated in the Baroque era with pomp, ceremony, and military triumph, and the sound of trumpets and timpani gives this suite a distinctly martial and celebratory feel. It opens with a grand, fanfare-like movement that announces its majestic intentions. This suite also contains a famous "Alla Hornpipe," though it is a different tune from the one in the F major suite. The movements here are grand and stately, full of the pomp and circumstance befitting a royal occasion.

The Suite in G Major (HWV 350): The Flute Suite An Intimate Sound

The third and final suite, in G major, offers a complete change of pace. Its instrumentation is lighter and more delicate, featuring the softer sounds of the flute and recorder in place of the loud brass. The music is more intimate and has the character of chamber music. It is likely that this suite was performed when the King’s barge was at rest for supper, or when the flotilla of boats was closer together, allowing the more subtle instruments to be heard. The movements include graceful and charming dances like the Rigaudon and a gentle Gigue. This suite showcases a different side of Handel's art—less public and grand, and more personal, graceful, and pastoral.

Orchestration for the Outdoors Music to Be Heard

The scoring of the Water Music is a brilliant solution to a practical problem. Composing for an orchestra on a moving boat in the open air is very different from writing for a resonant concert hall. Handel understood that the delicate sounds of instruments like the harpsichord or lute would be completely lost. He therefore relied on the louder, more penetrating instruments of the orchestra: the oboes, bassoons, and especially the brass instruments—the horns and trumpets. He gave these instruments the most prominent and memorable melodies, ensuring that the King and the thousands of Londoners in surrounding boats could hear and enjoy the music above the noise of the river and the evening's festivities. It is a masterful example of practical, occasional music raised to the level of high art.