Flat Baroque

I know that I promised that I would write each night and post my writing on the blog. However, I really could not think of anything original to write about tonight. So I am, at least to the letter of the law, writing and posting. What I am writing is this brief introduction to an event in musical history that occurred over two hundred and fifty years ago. It was not so funny at the time, I would imagine, but it brings a smile to my face now whenever I think about it. I wrote a sonnet about it a few years ago, and have read it often in public readings. For those of you that are unfamiliar with the event, I have included a brief abstract from Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia. Of the twenty-five sonnets that I have written so far, it is the only humorous sonnet. I hope it brings a smile to your face as well.

Music for the Royal Fireworks is a group of five pieces for orchestra composed by George Frederick Handel in 1749. He was asked by King George II to write the music because the king wanted some music and fireworks to celebrate the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle. This was an agreement between a lot of European countries to end the war they had been fighting.
The king wanted the celebrations to take place in Green Park in London. He wanted the orchestra to have lots of military instruments such as trumpets and drums and “hoped there would be no violins”! He wanted the orchestra to have a rehearsal in Vauxhall Gardens to which the public would be able to go. Handel was not very happy with these arrangements, but in the end he agreed.
The rehearsal in Vauxhall Gardens took place on 21 April. This was just for the music, there were no fireworks. There were 12,000 people in the audience. The huge crowds caused a three hour traffic jam on London Bridge. The tickets for entrance cost 2s 6d (two shillings and sixpence, worth 12 ½p in modern money).
Six days later the real performance took place in Green Park. The orchestra played in a building which had been specially made. The music was played while the fireworks went off. Unfortunately there was a disaster. The building caught fire when a huge bas relief of the king fell down. However, no one was hurt.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Sonnet 14
Christopher Bogart

When German George told George to write some tunes
To orchestrate his fountains’ bubbling springs,
Young Handel raced against the clock and soon
Had twenty little opuses to bring.
‘Twas then the King gave him a second task –
To orchestrate his pyrotechnic show.
Again young Handel did all that was asked,
Producing pompous tunes played in a row.
But on the day young George discharged his charge,
While players tuned their instruments in sync,
A pyrotechnic renegade hit barge,
Dumping flutes, horns and players in the drink.
The players and their instruments were soaked,
Unable to play on what was now baroque.