In the early 1700s, London high society delighted in evening pleasure trips on the River Thames. These leisurely trips were often accompanied by a floating orchestra-a whole barge-load of musicians playing "water serenades." Handel composed suites of "water music" for such festive occasions. This vigorous tune is one of his most famous, and your students will instantly take to its catchy syncopations. The excellent antiphonal writing will foster "section" pride in your group, as the melody bounces around from strings to woodwinds to brass.
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