Most music lovers have encountered Georg Friedrich
Händel (1685 – 1759) through holiday-time renditions
of the Messiah's "Hallelujah" chorus. And many of them
know and love that oratorio on Christ's life, death,
and resurrection, as well as a few other greatest hits
like the orchestral Water Music and Royal Fireworks
Music, and perhaps Judas Maccabeus or one of the other
English oratorios. Yet his operas, for which he was
widely known in his own time, are the province mainly
of specialists in...(+)
Most music lovers have encountered Georg Friedrich
Händel (1685 – 1759) through holiday-time renditions
of the Messiah's "Hallelujah" chorus. And many of them
know and love that oratorio on Christ's life, death,
and resurrection, as well as a few other greatest hits
like the orchestral Water Music and Royal Fireworks
Music, and perhaps Judas Maccabeus or one of the other
English oratorios. Yet his operas, for which he was
widely known in his own time, are the province mainly
of specialists in Baroque music, and the events of his
life, even though they reflected some of the most
important musical issues of the day, have never become
as familiar as the careers of Bach or Mozart. Perhaps
the single word that best describes his life and music
is "cosmopolitan": he was a German composer, trained in
Italy, who spent most of his life in England.
The War of Austrian Succession was brought to an end by
the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, signed in October 1748.
Although England had been a somewhat reluctant
participant and had gained little from the war,
preparations for celebrations commenced the following
month with the erection of a large wooden structure
incorporating a triumphal arch in London's Green Park
-- the framework for a large and impressive display of
fireworks. Peace was formally declared in the following
February, and Handel, who had then just completed two
contrasting oratorios, Susanna and Solomon, was
commissioned to provide music for the occasion.
Obviously, such music would have to be both grand in
scale and suitable for open-air performance -- this
latter aspect, in practical terms, calling for a large
contingent of wind and brass instruments. Handel
originally intended to make use of no fewer than 16
each of trumpets and horns. However, he ran into
trouble with the organizers, evidenced by a sequence of
bad-tempered letters. Ultimately, he settled for
something a little more "modest": 24 oboes, 12 bassoons
(including a contrabassoon), nine each of trumpets and
horns, three pairs of kettledrums, and an unspecified
number of side drums.
Music for the Royal Fireworks consists of five
movements, commencing with a suitably pompous and
ceremonial Overture in the French style: a slow,
dotted-rhythm introduction followed by a contrapuntal
Allegro. The suite continues with a lively Bourée, a
quieter movement entitled "La paix," the ebullient "La
réjouissance," and a final Minuet. A second Minuet, in
D minor, which seems to have been added later, was
probably used by the composer as a trio section before
a final triumphant return to the main Minuet in D
major.
The rehearsal of Music for the Royal Fireworks in
Vauxhall Gardens on April 21, 1749 takes a place as one
of the best attended in the history of musical
performance. A huge crowd, said to number in excess of
12,000, is reported to have turned up, blocking many
surrounding streets and causing traffic chaos. The
actual event was rather less successful; observers
reported that in particular, many of the fireworks
failed to impress. To make matters worse, the display
set fire to one of the pavilions that formed part of
the structure. A month later, the music was performed
in the rather more peaceful surroundings of the
Foundling Hospital. For this occasion Handel reverted
to a traditional combination of strings and winds. This
is the version in which the music, one of Handel's most
popular works, is most often heard today.
Source: AllMusic
(https://www.allmusic.com/composition/suite-for-keyboar
d-suite-de-piece-vol1-no6-in-f-sharp-minor-hwv-431-mc00
02366400).
Although originally written for Keyboard, I created
this Arrangement of the La Paix from the Fireworks
Suite (HWV 351 No. 4) for Winds (Flute, Oboe, Clarinet
in A, English Horn, French Horn & Bassoon) & Strings (2
Violins, Viola & Cello).
