Music for the Royal Fireworks, The (arr Boudreau)

George Frideric Handel

George Frideric Handel (arr. Robert Boudreau)

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General Info

Year: 1749 / 1959
Duration: c. 23:00
Difficulty: (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Edition Peters
Cost: Score and Parts - Rental | Score Only (print) - $29.50

Movements

(Movement names desired)

Instrumentation

Full Score
Oboe I-II-III
Bassoon I-II
Contrabassoon
C Trumpet I-II-III
Horn in F I-II-III
Contrabass
Timpani
Side Drum

Errata

None discovered thus far.

Program Notes

Handel's Royal Fireworks Music was composed in 1749 for a mammoth festival proclaimed by King George II to celebrate the Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle following the war of the Austrian succession. In the outdoor setting of Green Park a large wooden building was erected with broad wings and a huge musicians' gallery. On it were figures of Mars and Neptune, and above, a bas relief of King George handing Peace to Britannia. Amid the splendid setting, Handel's music was to be the feature attraction, followed by a tremendous display of fireworks. The performance of the music was accorded great acclaim and was followed by cannon and ordnance shots, but the fireworks proved fitful and erratic. In the grand finale the entire building was set on fire and burned to the ground, enraging the king whose image crumbled and fell in flames. Only Handel's reputation remained unscathed, fur the music brought a governorship and the lasting favor of the king.

Like the Water Music, the work was scored for a large wind band consisting of 40 trumpets, 20 French horns, 16 oboes, 16 bassoons, 8 pair of kettledrums, flutes, fifes, and a serpent. In this edition for the modern wind band, the work has been arranged in concerto grosso with small and large groups.

- Program Note from Program Notes for Band

Media

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State Ratings

Alabama: Class B

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

Temple University (Philadelphia, Penn.) Wind Symphony (Patricia Cornett, conductor) - 15 February 2023
Temple University (Philadelphia, Penn.) Wind Symphony (Patricia Cornett, conductor) – 27 January 2019
Temple University (Philadelphia, Penn.) Wind Symphony (Patricia Cornett, conductor) – 28 November 2018

Works for Winds by This Composer

Adaptable Music

Hail the Conquering Hero (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Marlatt) (1746/2008/2014)
Hallelujah Chorus (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Stanton) (1741/2013)
Hallelujah Chorus (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Thorp) (1741/2003)
Hornpipe from the "Water Music" (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Stanton) (1717/2012)
Handel's Largo (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Brand) (1738/2007)
See the Conquering Hero Comes (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Brand) (1746/2007)
Water Music Suite (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Kanayama) (1717)

All Wind Works

Air and Finale (arr. Balent) (1717/1989)
Amen (arr. Grace)
Antiphonal Alleluia (arr. Liebergen) (1746/1999)
Ariodante Suite (arr. Elledge) (1735/2004)
Arm, Arm, Ye Brave (arr. Barrow) (1746/1980)
Arrival of the Queen of Sheba (arr. Allen) (1748/2007)
Arrival of the Queen of Sheba (arr. Kenny) (1748/1988)
Arrival of the Queen of Sheba (arr. Ricketts) (1748/2004)
Concerto Grosso, Op 6
Concerto Op. 5, No. 6 (arr. Werle)
Conquering Hero Comes, The, from "Judas Maccabeus"
Dead March from "Saul"
Entrance of the Queen of Sheba (arr. Marlatt) (1748/2011)
Finale Grandioso (arr. Philip Gordon)
Fughetta (tr. Conley) (1986)
The Gods Go A-Begging (arr. Beecham; arr. Duthoit; rev. Leidzen) (1929/1947)
Hail the Conquering Hero (arr. Marlatt) (2008)
Hail the Conquering Hero (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Marlatt) (1746/2008/2014)
Hallelujah (arr. Davis and Longfield) (1741/2004)
Hallelujah, Amen (arr. Barnes) (1986)
Hallelujah Chorus (arr Ades) (1741/1958)
Hallelujah Chorus (arr. Barnes) (1741/1988)
Hallelujah Chorus (arr. Chiaffarelli) (1741/1941)
Hallelujah Chorus (arr. Glover) (1741/2016)
Hallelujah Chorus (arr. Johnson) (1741/1951)
Hallelujah Chorus (arr. Longfield) (1741/1994)
Hallelujah Chorus (arr. Rondeau) (1741/2010)
Hallelujah Chorus (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Stanton) (1741/2013)
Hallelujah Chorus (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Thorp) (1741/2003)
A Handel Celebration (arr. Erickson) (1985)
Handel's Largo (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Brand) (1738/2007)
The Harmonious Blacksmith (arr. Osterling) (1720/1992)
The Harmonious Blacksmith (arr. Syler) (1720/2020)
Hear Me, Ye Winds and Waves (arr. Barrow) (1726/1973)
Hornpipe from the "Water Music" (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Stanton) (1717/2012)
Hornpipe from "Water Music Suite" (1717)
La Rejouissance (arr. Williams)
La Rejouissance from "Music for the Royal Fireworks" (arr. Seipp)
Larghetto (arr. Bullock) (1738/1994)
Larghetto (arr. Molenaar) (1739-40/1955)
Largo (arr. Barnes) (1738/1988)
Largo (arr. Fagan) (1738/2004)
Largo (arr. Hautvast) (1738/)
Lascia Ch'io Pianga (arr. Tamura) (1711/2014)
Let Me Weep (arr. Haan) (1711/2004)
March and Gavotte (arr. King) (1705/1956/1990)
Menuet Varié (Clarinet Choir) (arr. Hautvast) (/2011)
Menuet Varié (Saxophone Quartet) (arr. Hautvast) (/2011)
Menuetto from Symphony No. 104 "London" (arr. Glover)
Messiah Overture (arr. Johnson) (1741/1966)
The Music for the Royal Fireworks (arr. Boudreau) (1749/1959)
Music for the Royal Fireworks (arr. Erickson) (1749/1997)
Music for the Royal Fireworks (rescored Hindsley) (1749/197-?)
Music for the Royal Fireworks (arr. Leenhouts) (1749/2021)
The Music for the Royal Fireworks (arr. Mackerras and Baines) (1749/1960)
Music for the Royal Fireworks (ed. Rodenmacher) (1749/)
Music for Two Wind Bands (arr. Schaefer) (1977)
No Shade So Rare (arr. Forsblad) (1738/1999)
An Occasional Suite (arr. Osterling) (1746/1958)
Overture in D Minor
Passacaglia (arr. Longfield) (c. 1720/2014)
Royal Fireworks Music (arr. Sartorius) (1749/1941)
Royal Fireworks Music (arr. Schaefer) (1749/1982)
Sarabande (arr. Daehn) (1703-1706/1733/2004)
Sarabande (arr. Gingery) (1703-1706/1733/1976)
Sarabande (arr. Van Grevenbroek) (1703-1706/1733/2012)
Sarabande (arr. Hautvast) (1703-1706/1733/2004)
See the Conquering Hero Comes (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Brand) (1746/2007)
Slow March from "Scipio"
Song of Jupiter (arr. Anderson) (1952)
Suite from "Messiah" (trans. Curnow) (1741/1989)
A Suite of Baroque Dances (arr. Kinyon) (1979/1995)
Thanks Be to Thee
Three Chorales for Band (with Pasquini and Tchaikovsky; arr. Thornton) (1992/2004)
Three Movement from "Water Music" (arr. Wagner) (1715/2014)
Water Music (arr. Longfield) (1717/1997)
Water Music Suite (arr. Erickson) (1717/1985)
Water Music Suite (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Kanayama) (1717)
Water Music Suite (arr. Kay) (1717/1950)
Zadok the Priest

Resources

Handel, H.; Bourdreau, R. (1959). Music for the Royal Fireworks [score]. Peters: New York.
Music for the Royal Fireworks. Wikipedia. Accessed 12 October 2022
Smith, Norman E. (2002). Program Notes for Band. Chicago: GIA Publications, pp. 268