Water music (Handel)

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Handel (in the middle) with George I during the boat trip on the Thames. On the left in the background the musicians on another boat. Painting by Edouard Jean Conrad Hamman (1819–1888).

The Wassermusik ( Water Music , HWV 348, 349 and 350) by Georg Friedrich Händel (1685–1759) is a collection of three suites with an overture and twenty-one dance movements with a representative character. It accompanied a pleasure trip of the English King George I on July 17, 1717 on the Thames. Georg I was so taken with the music that he had the work and individual pieces repeated several times.

Overview

The following table shows the 22 movements of the water music that Samuel Arnold delivered in 1788 in the volume of the incomplete complete edition as well as Friedrich Chrysander in 1886. It corresponds to the current state of research from 2004 and thus differs from the widespread division into three suites, which is also reflected in the HWV numbers. Nevertheless, the table lists this now outdated, but often found division into three suites for easier orientation. Further information on the order of the sentences can be found in the section on tradition.

No. HWV title key occupation suite occupation
1 348/1 Overture F. 2 horns, 2 oboes, bassoon, strings Suite 1 No. 1 2 oboes, strings, bass (bassoon, violoncello, double bass, harpsichord)
2 348/2 Adagio e staccato d Oboes, strings Suite 1 No. 2 2 oboes, strings, bass (bassoon, violoncello, double bass, harpsichord)
3 348/3 [without designation] F. 2 horns, 2 oboes, bassoon, strings Suite 1 No. 3 2 horns, 2 oboes, bassoon, strings, harpsichord
4th 348/4 Andante d 2 oboes, bassoon, strings Suite 1, No. 4 2 oboes, bassoon, strings, harpsichord
5 348/5 Allegro F. 2 horns, 2 oboes, strings Suite 1, No. 5 2 horns, 2 oboes, strings, bass (bassoon, violoncello, double bass, harpsichord)
6th 348/6 Air F. 2 horns, 2 oboes, strings Suite 1, No. 6 2 horns, 2 oboes, strings, bass (bassoon, violoncello, double bass, harpsichord)
7th 348/7 Minuet F. 2 horns, 2 oboes, bassoon, strings Suite 1, No. 7 2 horns, 2 oboes, strings, bass (bassoon, violoncello, double bass, harpsichord)
8th 348/8 Bourée F. 2 oboes, bassoon, strings Suite 1, No. 8 2 oboes, strings, bass (bassoon, violoncello, double bass, harpsichord)
9 348/9 Hornpipe F. 2 oboes, bassoon, strings Suite 1, No. 9 2 oboes, strings, bass (bassoon, violoncello, double bass, harpsichord)
10 348/10 [without designation] d 2 oboes, bassoon, strings Suite 1, No. 10 Strings, Bassi (bassoon, violoncello, double bass, harpsichord)
11 349/11 [without designation] D. 2 trumpets, 2 horns, 2 oboes, bassoon, strings Suite 2, No. 11 2 trumpets, 2 horns, 2 oboes, bassoon, bass guitar (violoncello, double bass, harpsichord)
12 349/12 [without designation] D. 2 trumpets, 2 horns, 2 oboes, bassoon, strings Suite 2, No. 12 2 trumpets, 2 horns, 2 oboes, bassoon, bass guitar (violoncello, double bass, harpsichord)
13 350/16 [without designation] G Transverse flute, strings Suite 3, No. 16 Transverse flute, strings, bass (violoncello, double bass, harpsichord)
14th 350/17 [without designation] G Transverse flute, strings Suite 3, No. 17 Transverse flute, strings, bass (violoncello, double bass, harpsichord)
15th 350/18 [without designation] G Transverse flute, strings Suite 3, No. 18 Transverse flute, strings, bass (violoncello, double bass, harpsichord)
16 349/14 Lentement D. 2 trumpets, 2 horns, 2 oboes, bassoon, strings Suite 2, No. 14 2 trumpets, 2 horns, 2 oboes, bassoon, strings, bass (violoncello, double bass, harpsichord)
17th 349/15 [without designation] D. 2 trumpets, 2 horns, 2 oboes, bassoon, strings Suite 2, No. 15 2 trumpets, 2 horns, 2 oboes, strings, bass (violoncello, double bass, bassoon harpsichord)
18th 350/19 Menuet G Strings Suite 3, No. 19 Strings, Bassi (violoncello, double bass, bassoon harpsichord)
19th 350/20 [Menuet 2] G Sopranino, strings Suite 3, No. 20 Piccolo, strings, bass (violoncello, double bass, bassoon harpsichord)
20th 350/21 [without designation] G Sopranino, strings Suite 3, No. 21 Piccolo, strings, bass (violoncello, double bass, bassoon harpsichord)
21st 350/22 [without designation] G Bassoon, strings Suite 3, No. 22 Strings, bassoon, bass guitar (violoncello, double bass, harpsichord)
22nd 349/13 Menuet D. 2 trumpets, 2 horns, 2 oboes, bassoon, strings Suite 2, No. 13 2 trumpets, 2 horns, 2 oboes, bassoon, strings, bass (violoncello, double bass, harpsichord)

In his edition of 1886 Friedrich Chrysander combines the two movements HWV 348/4 and HWV 348/5 as (Allegro) -Andante, whereby after the Andante the Allegro with the indication da capo was taken up again. He also summarizes the movements HWV 350/17 and HWV 350/18 as an aria (Allegro) and HWV 350/19 and HWV350 / 20 as a minuet (minuet). Often, z. B. as with Eulenburg , the sentence name Rigaudon can be found for HWV 350/17. In addition, Edition Eulenburg is merging the sets HWV 350/21 and 350/22 under the name Country Dance .

Report of the Daily Courant of July 19, 1717

“On Wednesday Evening, at about 8, the King took Water at Whitehall in an open Barge, wherein were Dutchess of Bolton, The Dutchess of New Castle, the Countess of Godolphin, Madam Kilmaseck, and the Earl of Orkney. And went up the River towards Chelsea. Many other of Barges with Person of Quiatly attended, and so the great Number of Boats, that the whole River in a manner was couver'd; a City Company's Barge was employ'd for the Musick, wherein were 50 Instruments of all sorts, Who play'd all the Way from Lambeth (while the Barges drove with the Tide without Rowing, as far as Chelsea) the finest Symphonies, compos 'd express for this Occasion, by Mr Hendel: which his Majesty liked so well, that he caus'd it to be plaind over three times in going and returning. At Eleven his Majesty went ashore at Chelsea, where a Supper was prepar'd, and then there wa another very fine Consort of Musick, which lasted till 2; Majesty came again into his Barge, and return'd the same Way, the Musick continuing to play till he landed. "

“On Wednesday evening, at about eight o'clock, the King went on a boat trip at Whitehall in an open barge in which the Duchess of Bolton, the Duchess of New Castle, the Countess of Godolphin, Madame Kilmasegg and the Earl of Orkney were. And they went upriver to Chelsea. Many other launches with people of high rank took part, the number of boats was so great that almost the whole river was covered. The musicians, who had 50 instruments of all kinds, played in a ship belonging to the city guild. They played all the way from Lambeth (while the boats were drifting with the current to Chelsea without oars) the most beautiful symphonies, composed especially for the occasion by Mr. Handel, which His Majesty liked so much that they were repeated three times on the way there and back had to be. At eleven, His Majesty boarded a boat again and made the same route, while the music kept playing until she went ashore. "

- The Daily Courant

Orchestral line-up

Two flutes, two oboes, bassoon, two horns, two trumpets, two solo violins, strings.

Handel's water music is written as open-air music, which necessitates a strong orchestral line-up with horns and trumpets. Contemporary witnesses, as well as the newspaper article in the Daily Courant quoted above , spoke of an orchestra with fifty musicians. Friedrich Bonet, an envoy of the Prussian King Friedrich, who accompanied Baron Kielmansegg on the Thames trip, reports on horns, trumpets, transverse flutes (“des flutes allemandes”), recorders (“des flutes françaises à bec”), violins and basses. It is unlikely that a harpsichord played the continuo part in addition to the basses (cellos and double basses) during the performance on the Thames. No figured bass can be found in early sources. Presumably the bass was played by the bassoon, cellos and double basses as noted. The numbering of the bass and thus the use of the harpsichord as a continuo instrument probably comes from the practice of using water music no longer as outdoor music , but as a concert piece or theater music. Hans Ferdinand Redlich wrote about this in the complete edition from the 1960s: “The open-air character of the whole of Water Music suggests that continuo instruments could not originally have played. Also, harpsichords could hardly have been heard on a boat sliding down the river. We know of the later Firework Music that Handel reworked it for the purpose of a normal concert performance. It can therefore be assumed that at least parts of the Water Music under Handel's direction were later played in the concert hall with continuo support. It is obvious that this continuo was mainly limited to the parts performed by the strings and that it was completely omitted in the solo wind episodes. [….] The authenticity of his figures is also quite uncertain, since there is no complete autograph "

On the other hand, timpani are often used, which, however, are not notated in the score. Their use as well as the use of trumpets and horns as well as the opening overture with the sequence slow-fast underlines the representative character of Handel's water music . Horns were probably the favorite instruments of George I. He loved their sound as a passionate hunter. In contrast, trumpets traditionally appear as representatives of royalty. Viewed from the perspective of outdoor music, the recurring contrast between horns and trumpets in the movements that are summarized under HWV 349 is not a contrast between loud and soft, but between different timbres. The use of transverse flutes was very rare in England at the beginning of the 18th century. Its use in Handel's water music is believed to be the earliest English composition for this instrument. Since the sound of the transverse flute and recorder cannot be heard well in the open air, Siegbert Rampe suspects that their parts were amplified by horns, trumpets, oboes or bassoon.

Lore

In September 1714, the elector Georg Ludwig of Hanover became the British King, George I. In order to increase his popularity with the people, the new king first made water trips on the Thames between Whitehall and Chelsea in the summer of 1715. According to the Weekly Packet newspaper , there was also music. During another voyage on July 5, 1716, music from two orchestras on different ships is said to have been played. It is not known whether Handel's music was heard. It was not until the above-cited report in the Daily Courant that Handel mentioned Handel as the conductor and composer of such popular music composed especially for the occasion. There is also a widespread assumption that the music also played on a royal boat trip on the occasion of the wedding of the Prince of Wales, later George III. with the Princess of Saxony Gotha on April 26, 1736 is said to have sounded.

This assumption is based only on the fact that Handel composed the hymn Sing unto God for this wedding. Hans Ferdinand Redlich speculates that on this occasion the third suite he had adopted split off from the second. For this thesis he cites music sources that mix the movements of the suites. However, according to the current state of research, this thesis cannot be maintained. Therefore, only the performance of the water music on July 17, 1717 is considered historically secure.

Handel's autograph is lost. It was not until October 2004 that Terence Best discovered an early manuscript by Handel's main copyist from 1718 with the order of typesetting 1-22. To date, a transcription for keyboard instrument ( piano transcription) from 1721 from the hand of the copyist John Christopher Smith senor as well as a transcription from the keyboard book from the possession of Elizabeth Legh from 1722 also written down by Christopher Smith senor and a copy of the score, probably from 1731/32 is to be dated as the oldest sources for Handel's water music . The early piano transcription from 1721 does not contain all movements. They are all present in the copy of the score from 1731/32 1731/31, but in a slightly different order (1-6,8,9,7,10-22). In contrast, the manuscript from 1718 and the transcription from the keyboard book owned by Elizabeth Legh from 1722 show the same sentence order (1-22). Complete scores, later handwritten between 1738 and 1743, all have different sentence sequences. What they have in common, however, is that the trumpet menu (No. 22) no longer closes the cycle, but comes after the second piece for trumpets (No. 12). The copy of the score by John Christopher Smith senior (1683–1763) from the Henry Barrett Lennard Collection, which was written around 1738, is missing movement 10. Otherwise, it follows the later suite order (1-10, 11, 12, 16 , 17.13-15, 18.15). The score, also written by John Christopher Smith senior in 1743, again contains the 10th movement, but ends again with the woodwinds (1-12,22,16,17,13-15,18-21). The first published print under the title “THE CELERBRATED WATER MUSICK IN SEVEN PARTS”, edited by J. Walsh, appeared in 1733/34. It does not contain all movements, but interestingly, it states that the bass should be played by harpsichord or double bass ("a Thorough Bass for the HARPSICORD or BASS VIOLIN"). The first fully printed score was edited by Samuel Arnold in 1788 for an incomplete complete edition. In the order of the movements, Arnold based himself on the keyboard book owned by Elizabeth Legh from 1722 (1-22). Friedrich Chrysander, in turn, took over Arnold's order unchecked in 1886.

The Chrysander edition was the standard until the mid-20th century. The study of the 1950 discovered copy of the score by John Christopher Smith senior (1683–1763) from the Henry Barrett Lennard Collection of 1738 led experts like Thurston Dart to assume that the order of the movements was sorted by instrumentation and keys and rearranged into three suites. The first suite, the horn suite in F major, the movements nos. 1-10, the second, the trumpet suite, in D major the movements nos. 11,12,16,17,22 and the third , the flute suite in G major, movements nos. 13-15, 18-21. The very popular 1959 edition adopted this division into three suites. Like Brian Priestman in 1959, Roger Fiske declared in the 1973 edition that the first suite was written in F major for a water ride in 1715, and was supplemented by the parts of the second suite in D major around 1717. As a result, the second suite in D major was presented in 1717 with the addition of the reworked movements of the first suite on the Thames. On the same day in Chelsea, the third suite is said to have been played as background music for dinner. Bernd Baselt goes one step further in his catalog raisonné from 1978–1986 and assigns all three suites different occasions and dates of origin. The first suite was created in 1715, the second in 1717 and the third in 1736. Baselt also manifests the division into the three suites in his catalog raisonné by assigning the HWV number (348 / 1-350 / 22). In the previously published complete edition from the 1960s, the division into the three suites was also incorporated. The editor, Hans Ferdinand Redlich, wrote: “For practical performance purposes, it is recommended that the entire material be divided into three suite complexes. These three suites can of course also be shortened and presented in a selection. Under no circumstances should the three sharply separated key circles of F, D and G be mixed up. "

Parallel to the assumption that the Wassermusik is divided into three suites, the realization that there are only two suites was consolidated in circles of historically informed performance practice. This was based on the Chrysander edition of 1886. In 1983 , Trevor Pinnock summarized the first movements of a suite in F major in a recording with The English Concert (Nos. 1–10). The second suite includes movements in D and G major (nos. 11-22). The order followed the Chrysander edition and thus deviated from the usual suite order. When Terence Best found the manuscript from 1718 in 2004 and included him and Christopher Hogwood in the current complete edition in 2007, this order was confirmed.

reception

Historically, it can only be proven that the water music was played as music to accompany a water trip, as on July 17, 1717. In the 1720s to 1740s it was used as accompaniment to plays in several London theaters. It was edited for the purpose of the performance. Only single movements were played, timpani were used and probably also a harpsichord as a continuo instrument.

The latter, however, is speculation based on the performance practice at the time; there is no concrete evidence for this. 1743 under the title “HANDEL'S Celebrated WATERMUSICK Compleat. Set for HARPSICORD “an arrangement of water music for harpsichord. Since this arrangement at the latest, the use of a harpsichord as a continuo in concert performances with an orchestra is considered likely.

Handel's music was also used for teaching purposes. Between 1746 and 1770 it appeared in several textbooks for flute, horn and violin. In addition, numbers 7 and 18, 22 were arranged as individual, independent instrumental pieces and even as a song.

Today water music is one of the most famous works of Handel alongside fireworks music and is firmly anchored in the concert repertoire.

Web links

literature

  • Newspaper article: Roger Fiske; German translation by Stefan de Haan; 1973; TRADE, THE WATER MUSIC, WATER MUSIC; Ernst Eulenburg Ltd .; London
  • Hans Ferdinand Redlich: HÄNDEL, Water Music, Wassermusik. Bärenreiter, Kassel 1976.
  • The new lexicon of music in four volumes; 1996; JB Metzler; Stuttgart

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ^ The Daily Courant (July 17, 1717), pp. 76-77, quoted from Donald Burrows, Handel, 2nd edition, Oxford 2012; P. 101.
  2. ^ Siegbert Rampe, "Water Musick - Musick for the Royale Fireworks", in: ders. (Ed.), Handel's Instrumental Music (Das Handel-Handbuch 5), Laaber-Verlag: Laaber 2009, pp. 505-527.
  3. ^ Terence Best and Christopher Hogwood, "Foreword" in: Georg Friedrich Händel, Wassermusik, Feuerwerksmusik (Halle Handel Edition, Series IV: Instrumental Music Vol. 13), Bärenreiter: Kassel 2007, pp. VII-XXIV.
  4. ↑ Hans Ferdinand Redlich, "About the present volume", in: Georg Friedrich Händel, Wassermusik - Feuerwerksmusik (Halle Handel Complete Edition, Series VI: Instrumental Music Vol. 13), ed. Hans Ferdinand Redlich), Bärenreiter: Kassel 1962, pp. VII-XIII,
  5. ^ Siegbert Rampe, "Water Musick - Musick for the Royale Fireworks", in: ders. (Ed.), Handel's Instrumental Music (Das Handel-Handbuch 5), Laaber-Verlag: Laaber 2009, pp. 505-527
  6. ^ Siegbert Rampe, "Water Musick - Musick for the Royale Fireworks", in: ders. (Ed.), Handel's Instrumental Music (Das Handel-Handbuch 5), Laaber-Verlag: Laaber 2009, pp. 505-527
  7. ↑ Hans Ferdinand Redlich, "To the present volume", in: Georg Friedrich Händel, Wassermusik - Feuerwerksmusik (Halle Handel Complete Edition, Series VI: Instrumental Music Vol. 13), ed. ders.), Bärenreiter: Kassel 1962, pp. VII-XIII.
  8. ^ Siegbert Rampe, "Water Musick - Musick for the Royale Fireworks", in: ders. (Ed.), Handel's Instrumental Music (Das Handel-Handbuch 5), Laaber-Verlag: Laaber 2009, pp. 505-527.
  9. ^ Terence Best and Christopher Hogwood, "Foreword" in: Georg Friedrich Händel, Wassermusik, Feuerwerksmusik (Halle Handel Edition, Series IV: Instrumental Music Vol. 13), Bärenreiter: Kassel 2007, pp. VII-XXIV
  10. ↑ George Frederick Handel, The Water Music ed. by Brain Pristman, Edition Eulenburg 6147: London 1959.
  11. ↑ Georg Frederik Handel, Water Music , ed. by Roger Fiske, Edition Eulenburg 1308: London 1973.
  12. ^ Siegbert Rampe, "Water Musick - Musick for the Royale Fireworks", in: ders. (Ed.), Handel's Instrumental Music (Das Handel-Handbuch 5), Laaber-Verlag: Laaber 2009.
  13. ↑ Hans Ferdinand Redlich, "To the present volume", in: Georg Friedrich Händel, Wassermusik - Feuerwerksmusik (Halle Handel Complete Edition, Series VI: Instrumental Music Vol. 13), ed. ders., Bärenreiter: Kassel 1962, pp. VII-XIII, here SX
  14. ^ Terence Best and Christopher Hogwood, "Foreword" in: Georg Friedrich Händel, Wassermusik, Feuerwerksmusik (Halle Handel Edition, Series IV: Instrumental Music Vol. 13), Bärenreiter: Kassel 2007, pp. VII-XXIV.