THE MUSIC BOX
June 5th, 2022 Pentecost
Jubal Joslyn, tenor
Melinda Coffey Armstead, organ & piano
Prelude: Firework Music . . . George Frederick Handel (1685-1759) Overture – The Rejoicing – The Peace – Bourrée – Minuet Finale
Offertory: My Kindness Shall Not Depart From Thee . . . text and music by Rob Gardner
Communion: Pastorale from “The Faithful Shepherd” . . . G. F. Handel Larghetto from Concerto Grosso No. 12 . . . G. F. Handel
Postlude: Water Music: Interlude . . . G. F. Handel
Handel wrote the Fireworks Music to accompany an extravagant fireworks display in London. It was a world premier conducted by Handel himself, so no expense was spared. Well, almost no expense. Evidently an Italian pyrotechnics crew submitted an offer too good to refuse. If it hadn’t gotten entirely out of hand as to when the fireworks were lit and where they were actually pointed, it would have gone very well, and the success of the enterprise would have eclipsed the damages. Which in this case included the the destruction of the entire set, the burning down of one wing of the performance pavilion, a woman’s clothes set on fire by a stray rocket, two soldiers being burned, and one having his hand blow off during the activation of one hundred and one cannons subtly woven into the event for ambience.
But there were over twelve thousand spectators, so if you divide by that large number the expense per spectator was tolerable. And the music was very well received; after Handel died, Mozart called it “a spectacle of English pride and joy.” Some might wonder whether that comment is distinguishable from sarcasm, but we should give Mozart the benefit of the doubt, just because.
RLA
