17 July: Handel's Water Music

On this date in 1717 Handel's Water Music was first performed on the Thames. 10 things you might not know:

1. The fact that the music was composed for an outdoor performance on the river is a significant clue to why it’s called “Water Music”!

2. It consists of three movements, each based on a dance style.

3. These are: Suite in F major, Suite in D major and Suite in G major. This is the order they tend to be played in, although strictly speaking there’s no set order.

4. Some historians believe the Water Music was written as a peace offering from Handel to King George I. Handel had worked as Kapellmeister to the king when he was a prince in Germany and had left to live in England, which allegedly peed the Prince off big time. Others say Prince George would have known he would be king of England in due course as Queen Anne had no children and that he would be joining Handel in England eventually.

5. The King boarded his barge at Whitehall and set sail for Chelsea, accompanied by various dukes and duchesses. The orchestra of fifty musicians floated alongside in another barge.

6. The king is said to have enjoyed the music so much that he asked the musicians to play it three times over the course of the trip, including the return journey. Handel's orchestra is believed to have performed from about 8 p.m. until well after midnight, with only one break while the king went ashore at Chelsea.

7. It was written for a Baroque orchestra. The instruments in a complete performance are a flute, two recorders, two oboes, one bassoon, two horns, two trumpets, strings, and continuo. A Baroque orchestra would usually include a harpsichord and timpani, but they don’t feature in this music due to the logistical problems of loading them onto a barge.

8. In modern recordings, the Water Music is often paired with Handel's Music for the Royal Fireworks, written in 1749 for George II.

9. From 1958 to 1988, the Water Music was featured as the theme music for Anglia Television, a regional franchise for the East of England by ITV.

10. Captain Peter Pulcer of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald from 1966 to 1971 was noted for playing it over the ship's public address system as it passed through locks in the Great Lakes and connecting canals.

Character birthday

Rocket. Aka Gregory London. He was made redundant after cuts at his laboratory. He had been a pacifist and refused to work in the weapons development field, and felt great resentment when his job was cut in favour of more investment in weapons. After a period of depression, he became angry and turned to crime, stealing from his former employers in order to continue his research in his garage. He joined with several others with grudges against the government to form a band of villains known as the Gunpowder Lot, which hatched a plan to destroy the Houses of Parliament with a nuclear bomb.

He can fly, and produce a streak of flame behind him. The origin of his powers is unknown.

Who's That Girl?

Matt Webster lives in a tower block and attends a failing school. He dreams of being a spy like James Bond. Little does he know that he is being watched by someone who can make him into even more than that – a superhero.

His first solo mission is to attend a ball at the Decembrian Embassy and discover who is planning to steal a priceless diamond. While there, he meets the mysterious Lady Antonia du Cane, and is powerfully drawn to her. It soon becomes clear, however, that Lady du Cane is not what she seems. Matt’s quest to discover who she really is almost costs him his career.

A modern day Guy Fawkes gathers a coterie around him with the aim of blowing up Parliament with a nuclear bomb. To achieve this, they need money. Lots of it. Selling the Heart of Decembria Diamond will provide more than enough. All that stands in their way is the Freedom League – but the League is beset by internal disagreements. Can the heroes put their differences aside in time to save the day?

Prime Minister Richard Miller and his wife Fiona grieve for their daughter, Yasmin, who has been missing for three years, and is presumed to be dead. Viper agent Violet Parker could hold the key to what happened to Yasmin, but Violet is accused of giving away the organisation’s secrets. She is to be executed without trial. Will she take her knowledge of what happened to Yasmin with her to her grave?

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