Review

George Frideric Handel
Water Music:

Arranged by Ralph Sauer


Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Publisher: Cherry Classics Music
Date of Publication: 1990
URL: http://www.cherryclassics.com

Score and parts

Primary Genre: Brass Ensemble - 6+ brass (choir)

Handel’s Water Music was composed for King George I in 1717 and premiered while the orchestra floated down the river Thames on a barge. This arrangement features two well-known selections from the original collection. It is written for a fourteen-piece brass ensemble consisting of 4 trumpets, 4 horns, 4 trombones, and 2 tubas. Piccolo trumpet is required in the first trumpet part, and there are optional flugelhorn lines in the 3rd and 4th trumpet parts. The trumpet parts are written in B-flat, and the first two trombone parts are given in tenor clef. Trumpets, horns and first trombone parts include trills and mordents throughout. The first movement is marked Allegro in a stately ¾ meter. The second, Andante, is in common meter and is written in a more lyrical style. The movement concludes with a short cadenza written in the 3rd trumpet part. A Da Capo to first movement concludes the piece. This work reflects the quality and craftsmanship you expect from Mr. Sauer’s expertise and joins his many other publications as a strong addition to the repertoire. This piece is well suited to a college level ensemble. Samples can be found at www.cherryclassics.com. 

-Patrick Lawrence
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point