Music, School of
Date of this Version
January 2009
Abstract
for Fl., Bb Cl., Bn., Mba., Hpschd As the story goes... in 1717 George Frederick Handel, in an attempt to win back the favor of King George arranged to have this music performed on a barge floating along the rivers Thames. This extraordinarily healthy, clean limbed music is a loose collection of some twenty pieces from which various suites of usually three to five movements are performed in concert. In 1965 I arranged three movements for Wind Ensemble in a purist historically (politically?) correct version (including harpsichord). Then, last March, with nothing better to do, I declared a “Handel Month” and rearranged the pieces for large Symphonic Band as well as Saxophone Choir (the Symphonic Band version was recently premiered by the Lincoln Community Concert Band led by Pat Fortney). Still, apparently not satisfied, I decided at one last go of it, writing a whimsical post-modern fantasy based on a single Allegro movement. Hopefully this last effort will finally exorcise the Handel demon and get the piece off my back for good so I can start living a normal life again!.