Suite No. 1 in F Major

The F Major Suite is the longest and also probably the earliest section of the Water Music. It starts with a majestic “French” overture, where a grand, arresting opening—full of scales, trills, and bold gestures—leads seamlessly into a busy, argumentative fugue. The mood suddenly changes, and Handel writes what sounds like the slow movement of an oboe concerto, leaving plenty of room for the soloist to embellish the simple melodic line. The first of the truly outdoor pieces comes next, where—for perhaps the first time—a pair of horns appeared in an English orchestra. Handel’s writing for them is especially imaginative and vigorous, with antiphonal bantering and ceremonial fanfares lending the music its regal air. A slower, deeply felt “Andante” for the strings provides a moment of elegant contrast before a parade of tuneful dance movements, including a wistful “Air”, a pattering “Bourrée” and salty “Hornpipe”. About Handel’s Water Music Handel’s Water Music was written for a royal river party on the Thames in 1717 and belongs to an essentially French tradition of outdoor music. Deliberately popular in style, it relies on the appeal of sturdy dance tunes and military-style orchestration. On the basis of key and scoring, it actually breaks down into three suites: in F Major, calling for oboes, bassoons and horns alongside the strings; in D Major, with the addition of trumpets; and in G Major/Minor, where the strings are joined simply by a flute, recorder and bassoon. The very different character of these three suites suggests they had quite separate origins.