A rehearsal for Handel's Music for the Royal Fireworks at Vauxhall Gardens drew an audience of over 12,000, causing a three-hour traffic jam on London Bridge.
Historical Context
The Water Music was likely commissioned to help improve King George I's image among his new British subjects after the 1715 Jacobite uprising.
Composition History
Handel's Music for the Royal Fireworks was composed to celebrate the unpopular Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle of 1748, which ended the War of the Austrian Succession.
Composition History
Handel's Water Music was performed on July 17, 1717, for King George I, who requested it be repeated three times, with each performance lasting an hour.
Compositional Technique
For the Music for the Royal Fireworks, Handel borrowed extensively from his earlier militaristic music, including themes from his Concertos for Orchestra.
Critical Reception
Despite massive anticipation for the Music for the Royal Fireworks, no reports survive on how well Handel's music was actually heard by the enormous crowd.
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