How do you play your trumpet…?
To celebrated the signing of the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (regarding the Austrian Succession), Handel was tasked with composing music for George II’s colossal firework celebrations in Green Park in April 1749., which allegedly has 12,000 people in attendance.
The music was a success, whilst the rest, less so. There was rain, which caused misfires; one of the pavilions caught fire; one woman’s clothes were set on fire by a rocket; other fireworks burned two soldiers and blinded another – during the rehearsal another soldier had his hand blown off testing the 101 cannons used for the event.
The music, like a typical Baroque suite, has an overture followed by various dance movements:
- Overture (Adagio – Allegro – Lentement – Allegro)
- Bourrée
- La Paix (Largo alla siciliana)
- La Réjouissance (Allegro)
- Menuets I and II
The original performing forces (considering it was outdoors) were specified by Handel in the score as 24 oboes, 12 bassoons and a contrabassoon, nine natural trumpets, nine natural horns, three pairs of kettledrums, and side drums. He later rescored it to include strings, which you’ll see in the performance below which also includes a battle of timpani.
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