Fireworks music
The Music for the Royal Fireworks ( HWV 351) is a suite composed by Georg Friedrich Händel in 1748 . The work was premiered on April 27, 1749 (according to the Julian calendar ) with a fireworks display . It's casual music .
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Like the water music , which was created in 1717 on the occasion of the end of the War of the Spanish Succession on behalf of King George I , the fireworks music was created in 1748 on the occasion of a similar peace agreement. His successor Georg II wanted to organize a huge celebration with large fireworks and music because of the Peace of Aachen concluded in October 1748 to end the War of the Austrian Succession . He commissioned Handel to write “fire music” for the festive occasion. This gave the piece the original English title Music for the Royal Fireworks .
The celebration was to take place in London's Green Park , so Handel assumed a large open-air orchestra with a typical wind-string line-up. King George, however, insisted on an orchestra with only winds and timpani. Handel also wanted strings, as this had contributed to the success of water music.
From the letters of the Count of Montague of April 1749 it emerges that Handel did not bow to the king's will until very late.
Dress rehearsal and performance
The public rehearsal took place on April 21, 1749 in Vauxhall Gardens . The orchestra consisted of 57 musicians, consisting of 24 oboes , 12 bassoons , 9 horns , 9 trumpets and 3 pairs of kettledrum . The rehearsal took place in front of 12,000 spectators, which even clogged London Bridge .
The great peace celebration and with it the premiere of the fireworks music took place on April 27, 1749. 101 gun salutes were planned as the start signal for the fireworks and the music that started at the same time. The gun salute did not come as planned, however, and so the overture began before the fireworks. It is also not clear whether the other movements were played as music to accompany the fireworks as planned or separately, because the fireworks themselves were a pitiful failure: for one thing, it had rained all afternoon, and to make matters worse, part of it turned up the stage construction on fire. The only reason the celebration didn't turn out to be a fiasco was because of Handel's music.
One chronicler reports that the orchestra should even include 112 musicians: 40 trumpets, 20 horns, 16 oboes, 16 bassoons, 8 pairs of kettledrum and 12 drums , while other sources report 100 musicians. These numbers are unlikely to have been reached. In fact, around 57 wind players and drummers were involved.
On May 27, exactly one month later, Handel performed the fireworks music again in the Foundling Hospital, this time in the version he wanted with strings. However, the sound did not seem harmonious enough to him, so the wind instrument was reduced again in a final version. This is the version that is usually played today. It includes twelve 1st oboes, eight 2nd oboes, four 3rd oboes, three 1st horns, three 2nd horns, three 3rd horns, three 1st trumpets, three 2nd trumpets, three 3rd trumpets, eight 1st horns. Bassoon, four 2nd bassoons, a contrabassoon, a pair of kettledrum and the full strings .
Individual pieces of fireworks music
Overture
The overture is the core of the entire composition and is in a three-part da capo form . It is written in D major and consists of two different themes that come from two overtures originally composed beforehand (F major and D major). The first part is a Adagio in a 4 / 4 written ¯ clock and is reminiscent of a ceremonial procession. The second part is in a busy Allegro derived from a 3 / 4 is supported ¯ clock. The first two parts are separated by a cadenza lasting several bars . After the "jubilant fanfares and energetically dotted rhythms" in the Allegro, there is the transition to the third part - a lentement in the parallel key of B minor. This is followed by the beginning of the Allegro again as the third part of the da capo form.
Bourrée
The bourrée is a small (trio-like) composition that was mainly played while dancing. However, one can no longer say whether it was played for dancing or for fireworks. It's in D minor.
La Paix
La Paix (Peace) is to be played as Largo alla Siciliana. The 12 / 8 ¯ clock is the clock of Handel favorite childhood friend, the Neapolitan Alessandro Scarlatti . However, the melody is not characterized by Neapolitans . The key of D major again refers to the overture.
La Réjouissance
La Réjouissance (here: joking set of suites) is intended as a contrast to the other parts of the composition. It is intended as happy (D major) military music. The piece is pervaded by prominent trumpet signals and horsemen's marshes. It was King George's favorite part.
Minuet I and Minuet II
Minuet I is deliberately kept sparing and is therefore also in D minor. Minuet II , on the other hand, is in D major and therefore much more majestic. It is played three times. While trumpets, strings and timpani play in the first run, there are only horns, oboes and bassoons in the second. This also makes this part sound more sensitive than the first. In the final third run, everyone plays together.
Recordings
There are numerous recordings of the fireworks music . Two recordings are remarkable in which the special sound effect of the pure wind instrumentation is reconstructed. Charles Mackerras and the Pro Arte Orchestra London (Pye Records 200 887-315) use modern instruments, Trevor Pinnock and The English Concert (Deutsche Grammophon CD 453 4512) play on historical instruments or faithful replicas.
The problem with a true-to-original recording, however, is the huge orchestral apparatus that is required for it. For this reason there are comparatively few recordings of this piece in the original cast.
swell
- ↑ Bärenreiter Taschenpartituren, Feuerwerkmusik, p. 3, lines 30–34
- ↑ Gentelmans Magazine, London, 21 April 1749
- ↑ “Fire Music” with drizzle on swr.de.
- ↑ Bärenreiter pocket scores, fireworks music, p. 3
literature
- Ingeborg Allihn (Ed.): Barockmusikführer Instrumentalmusik 1550-1770 , JB Metzler, Stuttgart and Weimar and Bärenreiter, Kassel, 2001
- Hans Ferdinand Redlich (Ed.): Pocket scores Fireworks Music , Bärenreiter, Kassel, 1976
- Hans Renner: Reclam's concert guide , Reclam-Verlag GmbH, Stuttgart, 1959
- Wulf Konold / Eva Reisinger (eds.): Concert guide baroque, orchestral music from A – Z , series Musik Atlantis, Schott GmbH & Co. KG, Mainz, 2006
- Gerhart von Westerman : Knaurs Konzertführer , Droemersche Verlagsanstalt, Munich, 1951