The Musick for the Royal Fireworks – Feuerwerksmusik

One of the most popular works in music history in a facsimile edition accompanied by contemporary engravings and prints.

In 1749 George Frideric Handel was commissioned by King George II to supply a festive composition for the fireworks display in celebration of the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle. So large were the crowds that flocked to the final open rehearsal that traffic in London came to a standstill. Nor has the work lost any of its magnetism today: it is familiar to everyone, and many celebrations still use it as a musical “crowning glory”. This bilingual edition is rounded off with a contemporary account of the fireworks, décor and rockets employed, thereby conveying something of the majesty and magnificence of the occasion. It is also illustrated with various engravings showing the extravagant sets for the fireworks display.

The renowned conductor and musicologist Christopher Hogwood has supplied an introduction in which he draws attention to two concertos related to the Fireworks Music: HWV 335a for trumpet and horns, and HWV 335b for horns and organ. These, too, are reproduced in facsimile. The autograph score of the Fireworks Music is preserved in the British Library, where it is only available for consultation on a limited basis in order to protect it from overuse.