HANDEL , BACH , AND MOZART
synthesizers . Her other chamber music engagements have taken her to Carnegie Hall , Weill Recital Hall , and the Metropolitan Museum in New York ; Jordan Hall and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston , as well as the Freer Gallery in Washington D . C . She has appeared at the Verbier Festival in Switzerland , Italy ’ s Spoleto Festival , the Alpenglow Festival , and the Newport Music Festival . A participant at the Marlboro Music Festival , she has also appeared on two tours with “ Musicians from Marlboro .”
A Baltimore native , Mx . Needleman attended high school at the Baltimore School for the Arts but left early to attend the Curtis Institute of Music , where she is now a member of the oboe faculty . She has released a solo album with pianist Jennifer Lim on the GENUIN label .
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
By James M . Keller
George Frideric Handel
Born February 23 , 1685 in Halle , Prussia ( Germany ) Died April 14 , 1759 in London , England
SELECTIONS FROM WATER MUSIC [ 1717 ]
George Frideric Handel ’ s Water Music was performed — or at least much of it was — to accompany King George I and his entourage during a cruise up and down the Thames , from Whitehall to Chelsea and back again , on the night of July 17 – 18 , 1717 . Royal parties of that sort had taken place during the two preceding summers , and some of the movements included in the Water Music may have been written for those earlier festivities . An account of the 1717 excursion related :
Next to the King ’ s barge was that of the musicians , about 50 in number , who played on all kinds of instruments , to wit trumpets , horns , hautboys [ i . e ., oboes ], bassoons , German flutes [ traverse flutes ], French flutes [ recorders ], violins and basses ; but there were no singers . The music had been composed specially by the famous Handel , a native of Halle and His Majesty ’ s principal Court Composer . His Majesty approved of it so greatly that he caused it to be repeated three times in all , although each performance lasted an hour — namely twice before and once after supper .
When the piece was first published in full orchestral score , in 1788 , it was presented in three suites of different keys and distinct instrumentations . The first suite , in F , made prominent use of horns ; the second , in G , employed just woodwinds and strings ; and the third , in D , featured trumpets and horns . Jeanette Sorrell ’ s edition selects from all three suites . No early orchestral sources suggest including harpsichord , though it would have seemed de rigueur as a part of the continuo . A harpsichord would probably have been too heavy and awkward to use in a floating performance ; but at least some of this music was given at indoor concert performances in 1722 , and a harpsichord was likely employed on those occasions .
Instrumentation Two flutes , two oboes , bassoon , two horns , two trumpets , strings , and harpsichord .
Johann Sebastian Bach
Born March 31 , 1685 in Eisenach , Thuringia ( Germany ) Died July 28 , 1750 in Leipzig , Saxony ( Germany )
Yaseen Jones
CONCERTO IN F MAJOR FOR OBOE AND STRINGS [ CA . 1738 ]
Johann Sebastian Bach moved to Leipzig in 1723 to oversee music at the city ’ s principal churches and to teach at the St . Thomas School , but he also undertook freelance activities to support his ever-growing family . From 1729 through 1741 , this extracurricular work included directing the Collegium Musicum , a society of university students , interested
18 OVERTURE / BSOmusic . org