Händel, Georg Friedrich: The Musick for the Royal Fireworks II/32
Facsimile after the autograph held in the British Library
facsimile
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 Fire works 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.
Our facsimile edition reproduces Handel's manuscript in its original condition and makes it accessible to a wide readership.
In the autumn of 1923, a young man produced the first music editions of his newly founded publishing house in his parents’ living room. He named his company Bärenreiter. In the spring of 1924 when Karl Vötterle came of age, he was able to register it with the German Publishers and Booksellers Association. At first, he mainly put out folk song collections, church as well as organ music including early music by Leonhard Lechner and Heinrich Schütz, at the time primarily known in specialist circles.
During the last months of the Second World War, the publishing house in Kassel was destroyed and once more a fresh beginning had to be made. With the start of the extensive German music encyclopaedia MGG – "Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart" – as well as numerous series of scholarly-critical complete editions such as the “New Mozart Edition” and the “New Bach Edition”, the visionary founder of the publisher created the basis for the further development of Bärenreiter. The musicological editions increasingly aroused interest abroad, and Bärenreiter found itself on an expansion course.
When Karl Votterle died in 1975, his daughter Barbara took over the helm, supported by her husband Leonhard Scheuch. Under their leadership, the catalogue grew significantly and the brand BÄRENREITER URTEXT was established. Finally, in 2003, their son Clemens Scheuch joined the publisher which today he is managing together with his parents. Thus Bärenreiter has remained a family business to this day and has become a company of international standing in the world of classical music.
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