Composed: 1717
Premiered: 1717, London
Duration: 13 minutes

The premiere performance of Handel’s Water Music on July 17, 1717 is described in the following words by a German resident of London:

“His Majesty’s approval of it was so great that he caused it to be played three times in all; twice before and once after supper, even though each performance lasted an hour. The evening was fine as could be desired for the occasion and the number of barges and boats full of people wanting to listen was beyond counting.”

River parties were regular occurrences during the summer season in 18th-century London, and royal excursions were important social occasions. The 1717 event was apparently the grandest of King George I’s water parties. A contemporary newspaper account reported that there were so many boats, filled with “persons of quality” that “the whole river was in a manner cover’d.”

Handel’s reputation, both with the royal family and the more general public, was served well by his contribution to the “royal cruise”. Movements from the so-called Water Music appeared in various publications for several decades, and concert performances were very popular. Throughout the work the wind instruments, so well suited for outdoor use, figure prominently.

The Water Music can be divided into three suites. The second of them, known as the Flute Suite is the one we are hearing today.