The Funeral March is composed in C and proceeds at a grand and stately pace. The Flute duet provides an excellent contrast to the majesty of the piece.Handel’s great oratorio of 1739 Saul was conceived on a grand scale to tell the Old Testament story of King Saul David the slayer of Goliath and Saul’s son Jonathan. By the end both Saul and Jonathan have been killed and this moving funeral march marks that sombre moment in the oratorio. Saul is considered one of Handel's greatest works with particular praise for the Choral writing and for this funeral march.
