Music for the Royal Fireworks (HWV 351) (Full Score, paperback)

Handel Music for the Royal Fireworks (HWV 351) (Full Score)

George Frideric Handel’s “Music for the Royal Fireworks” (HWV 351) was composed at the behest of King George II to celebrate the signing of the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (Aachen), bringing the War of the Austrian Succession to an end.

This suite for wind instruments premiered on 27 April 1749 in London’s Green Park in spectacular — and chaotic — fashion.  A massive pavilion, fireworks, and a crowd of approximately 12,000 set the stage, but misfired rockets, and a fire in the structure turned the celebration into a near-disaster.
 
Despite the chaos and noise, Handel’s music managed to leave its mark on the audience and soon became one of his most enduring orchestral works.

The conductor and keyboard player Christopher Hogwood has edited the new edition of Fireworks Music.  The edition is the result of thorough revision and correction based on the source material.  During this process, some incorrect notes were corrected, and in particular, the viola part was revised.  Misunderstood instructions from Handel relating to the colla parte coupling of the viola with the second oboe, as in the overture or with the bass parts, have been reassessed.  Doubling with other parts resulted in passages, which were too high or too low: these have now been rectified and a part suited to the range of the viola has been made possible.
 
- New critical edition based on new sources.

- Detailed Prefaces (Ger/Eng).

- Urtext of the “Halle Handel Edition”.

- Full score, performance material (BA4299) and study score (TP373) available for sale

- Format 31,0 x 24,3 cm