A Royal Show
King George I (1660–1727) wasn’t too popular at the beginning of his reign. In 1717, not long after his coronation, he faced political opposition from the public and even from his own family, as an opposing party formed to favor his son, the Prince of Wales. The king’s advisors suggested that he do something big to win over the people. That’s when the idea of throwing a lavish summer boating party on the Thames, with grand musical entertainment, came about. George I staged a royal show for his subjects that they did not soon forget. And who better to compose music for this occasion than George Frideric Handel, the king’s royal composer?
“Water Music” premiered on a summer’s evening in 1717, on a barge on the River Thames. The public watched eagerly from crowded boats and from the banks of the Thames. King George I and his courtiers listened to the performance from the royal barge, as they sailed down the river from Whitehall to Chelsea. Allegedly, the regent loved the music so much that he requested the musicians to perform the whole work an additional two times, keeping them up from sunset to sunrise the next morning.
Cheerful and Uplifting Music
“Water Music” is a majestic work, perfectly suited to its initial performance. With an ensemble of flutes, recorders, oboes, bassoons, trumpets, horns, basses, and violins, it combines memorable tunes with traditional dance forms typically found in the Baroque suite genre.The composition is made up of three orchestral suites and 22 self-contained instrumental movements with each suite featuring different instruments so as to create a distinctive character.
Since the original score has been lost, there is no way to ascertain the set order of the suites. But it is generally agreed that the first is in F major with 10 movements, the second is in D with five movements (among which is the famous “Alla Hornpipe”), and the third is in G with seven movements. The first two suites, in F and D, are meant to be loud and played for the listening public, as the first one emphasizes the horns, and the second emphasizes the trumpets. In contrast, the third one has softer instruments and is thought to have been the king’s supper music at Chelsea. The individual movements include overtures, fanfares, instrumental arias, and dances.
An International Legacy
Along with his other celebratory royal piece, “Music for the Royal Fireworks” (1749), “Water Music” is one of the few instrumental pieces Handel composed.Both compositions are suites, short, ordered instrumental pieces; these were intended to be performed outside, combining aristocratic and folk dances from around Europe, with bassoons, horns, and trumpets to carry the sound. The suites are modeled on popular French dance forms: minuets, old French dances called bourrées, and the British hornpipe, while the movements sound like Italian concertos.
Suite No. 1 of “Water Music” is divided into 11 sections. The suite begins with a grand majestic French-style overture, fit for royalty, and continues with a lively bourrée, a regal minuet, and ends with the majestic “Alla Hornpipe.”
By blending several European genres, Handel created a unique masterpiece. The influence of many cultures reflected Handel’s professional lifestyle. The German-born composer studied in Italy and lived in London, a cosmopolitan center, where he composed “Water Music” for a German-born English king. And Handel’s composition was first performed by German, Italian, French, and English musicians on open boats in the international city.
Having a group of international musicians playing music outdoors was a very novel idea at the time. “Water Music” was deliberately modern and international in its composition and purpose, as it conveyed the idea that King George I was a modern and worldly king, fit to rule in the modern age. Handel’s innovation didn’t stop there, as “Water Music” saw the first appearance of the English horn in a British orchestra.
After only a few years, “Water Music” fell into obscurity, mostly because there was no full score available. Not many people knew about this composition, except for those who attended it live or listened to it in concert halls. The entire collection only came to print in 1788, nearly 30 years after the composer’s death. The public rejoiced in rediscovering this uplifting composition.
Handel’s “Water Music” testifies to Handel’s compositional genius. Since Handel wrote mostly operas and oratorios, we don’t have many of his instrumental works. Newer recordings with historically informed performances (a popular practice in the last decade using historical instruments and playing techniques) allow us to experience how the music might have sounded on a summer’s day along the Thames.
“Water music” is still performed regularly today, as it is considered to be one of the composer’s greatest works.
