The researchers of the creative work of the great composer, George Frideric Handel, attribute his "Water Music" to 1715. Handel, who served in the capacity of conductor at the court of the Hannover elector (the future English King, Georqe П at the time, had already won a firm place in the musical life of England during his first tours there in 1710 and 1712. The creation of the "Water Music" is associated with the legendary tiff of the composer with George I, who was for some reason displeased with Handel. As legend has it, the orchestra which Handel directed, performed an extensive work, composed especially for the King's water-party down the Themes, and was a great surprise to everybody. "Water Music" proved so successful that two years later, in the summer of 1717, its performance was repeated and the King's river flotilla was then accompanied by a special barge on the board of which 50 musicians, headed by Handel, played the work.
Having created "Water Music", G. Handel became the pioneer of the so-called "plain-air form", i. e. symphonic music intended to be played outdoors. In this connection nention should be made of his "Fireworks Music" (1749) and two Double concertos.
Handel wrote his "Water Music" not so much for the entertainment of the court nobility as for the common people who crowded on the banks of the Thames. In this he anticipated the music of the French Revolution period.
"Water Music" is a light and entertaining piece that has retained its charm to this day. It is an orchestral serenade or a suite-divertissement comprising 20 pieces. Graceful dances of that epoch: minuets (Nos. 7, 13, 19), bourrees (Nos. 8, 15), rigodon (No. 14) ind two hornpipes (Nos. 8, 12) are represented here. The hornpipe is an old English sailors' dance of the tap-dance variety. The suite which opens with a solemn overture includes a number of stirring arias. The dances and arias alternate with grandiose "songs of praise" some parts of which are assigned to trumpets and French horns.
As the "Water Music" was intended to be performed outdoors its instrumentation was made accordingly and the role of resounding instruments: the trumpets, the French horns and the flute-piccolo is very important here. The trills of the French horns (No. 3) that create an original colourful effect, seem to have been utilized in orchestral literature for the first time here.
In some numbers the composer exploits statements of the trumpets (or French harns) within the context of the entire orchestra, in others the French horns and trumpets create the impression of carrying on a dialogue within the orchestral texture.
As the peformance of the entire composition takes about three hours it has become traditional to make up shorter suites of different numbers. Two suites, one consisting of ten movements and the other of nine, were published in Handel's lifetime.
The transcription of the suite made up of numbers from the "Water Music" by Hamilton Harty, the Irish conductor, pianist and composer (1879 — 1941), seems to be the most well-known effort. It differs much from the original, foremostly because the order of the movements has been changed.
The most essential peculiarities of his version are associated with the instrumentation that is intended for the contemporary orchestra. Harty introduced the percussions (three kettle-drums), two clarinets and a bassoon into the wood-wind instruments group, and added two French horns in order to balance the sounding of the brass instruments. Apart from this, the figured bass gives way to some prominent chords in the score.
In this version "Water Music" has acquired new features

Sound engineer: Vassily Antonenko

Note: The numbers of the items of G. Handel's suite "Water Music"
in the brackets correspond to the numbering in G. F. Redlich's
academic edition of "Water Music" (1962)