ate suites, was written over a period of twenty years in the service of King George I of England. The king had planned a procession down the Thomas River and needed a floating orchestra to perform on barges. Because of this situation, Handel had to experiment with the orchestration.The first suite, written in 1715, is scored for oboes, horns, bassoons, and strings. This orchestral arrangement worked well and was greatly received. The suite opens with an overture for strings and solo oboe. It is a very subtle opening and contrasts with the fanfare-like atmosphere of the rest of the suite. One movement from this suite “Air” remains the best-known part of the suite. During this suite, the horns play contrary to the strings and woodwinds. This particular orchestration balance dominates the suite.The second suite, written in 1717, is much more adventurous in orchestration. Not only are trumpets and kettle drums added, the individual instruments are treated differently as well. It opens with an Allegro labeled “Alla Hornpipe.” This is the most popular out of the three suites. The opener begins with a melody in the trumpets and then in the horns. To do such a thing during this time period was considered odd and unusual. This suite not only contains more dance movements than the first, it is also much louder than the first suite. This proves that Handel was attentive to his music’s performance situation and attempted to solve some of the problems with orchestration and mood.The last suite contains only short dances. Completed in 1736, it reverses some compositional changes between the first and second suites. Recorders or French flutes are added as well as German flutes and a continuo part. During this suite, the music is treated much more delicately, and the orchestration never presents the brass with the melody. Speculation is that this suite was supposed to be performed indoors. Whatever the...
