Composer: HÄNDEL, G.F. Arranger: Schnebele, M. Arranged/Written for: Quartet Instrumentation: SATB Style: Barock Score and Parts
The history of "water music" cannot be clearly reconstructed. There is no complete autograph, no authorized first print and no clearly assignable date of origin. The extent to which Handel processed musical material for the royal water rides that had already been composed on other occasions remains unclear in detail. The original order of the individual sentences as well as the original cast is also not certain.
According to the current state of source research three suites can be recognized, which differ in terms of cast and keys: Suite I F major, HWV 348 Suite II D major, HWV 349 Suite III G major, HWV 350 There are variants for some individual records, which can be found in HWV 331, 341 and 464.
In the present arrangement for saxophone quartet, all movements of the three suites have been included, as well as the variants of Suite II, from HWV 341, here the numbers 10b to 10e.For piece No. 11 "Alla Hornpipe", the variant HWV 331.2 was chosen as the starting score.
Dynamic names in brackets, tempo indications, respiratory breaks, some of the decorations and most of the articulation are to be understood as suggestions by the processor. The original text of the Halle Handel Edition served as a template for the editing.
