La Réjouissance and Menuet are two movements from Music for the Royal Fireworks in D, often called the Royal Fireworks Suite, composed by George Frideric Handel (1685-1759). Although Handel was born in Germany, he spent most of his adult life as a musician in England working as a court composer and supported by the patronage of the royal family and other prominent members of the aristocracy. In 1749, King George II of England commissioned Handel to write music to celebrate the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle. The resulting work, Music for the Royal Fireworks in D, was played outdoors in 1749 in Green Park, and an elaborate fireworks display was a featured part of the event.[1]

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REFERENCE NOTES

[1] Dean, Winton and Hicks, Anthony. "George Frideric Handel," The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Ed. Stanley Sadie. London : Macmillian, 1980. 8:83-140.

*Sheet music is scored in three-part harmony, and parts are available with interchangeable viola, cello and bass music. Sheet music files are in PDF format, and require Acrobat® Reader. If you don’t have Acrobat® Reader installed, it’s a free download. Click on the following link: Get Acrobat Reader