Music for the Royal Fireworks

E132013

Music for the Royal Fireworks is a grand orchestral suite composed by George Frideric Handel in 1749 to celebrate the end of the War of the Austrian Succession, renowned for its festive, ceremonial character and prominent use of brass and percussion.

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All labels observed (2)

Label Occurrences
Music for the Royal Fireworks canonical 2
HWV 258–261 1

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf composition
orchestral suite
programmatic music
associatedConflict War of the Austrian Succession
associatedTreaty Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748)
surface form: Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle
catalogueNumber Handel’s Water Music
surface form: HWV 351
commissionedBy George II of Great Britain
surface form: King George II of Great Britain
commissionedFor outdoor performance
composer George Frideric Handel
countryOfOrigin Kingdom of Great Britain
culturalSignificance frequently performed at ceremonial and celebratory occasions
one of Handel's most famous orchestral works
dateComposed 1749
dedicatedTo George II of Great Britain
surface form: King George II of Great Britain
firstPerformanceCity London, England
surface form: London
firstPerformanceCountry Kingdom of Great Britain
firstPerformanceDate 27 April 1749
firstPerformancePlace Green Park
surface form: Green Park, London
genre Baroque music
ceremonial music
festive music
hasRecording numerous commercial audio recordings
historicalPeriod 18th century
influenced later ceremonial brass and wind band repertoire
isPopularIn classical concert repertoire
key D major
language none (instrumental)
laterArrangementByComposer version with added strings
movement Bourrée
La Paix
La Réjouissance
Menuet I
Menuet II
Overture
notableFeature original scoring for large wind band
prominent use of brass
prominent use of percussion
occasion royal fireworks display in Green Park
originalInstrumentation wind band with brass, woodwinds, and percussion
premiereAudienceSize very large public audience
premiereEventType public outdoor concert
publisher various 18th-century London publishers
purpose celebration of the Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle
celebration of the end of the War of the Austrian Succession
relatedWorkBySameComposer Water Music
style late Baroque
typicalDuration approximately 20 minutes
usesMusicalForm French overture

Referenced by (3)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

George Frideric Handel notableWork Music for the Royal Fireworks
Coronation Anthems catalogCode Music for the Royal Fireworks
this entity surface form: HWV 258–261
Handel House Museum, London HandelComposedHere Music for the Royal Fireworks