AS OCR Set Work: Handel Water Music, Suite no.2 Unit G353

Handel Water Music, Suite no.2 is one of the three new Prescribed Orchestral Scores for the topic of the 18th/early 19th century Orchestra that OCR have introduced for first examination in June 2014.

This article will look at typical exam questions for this paper, then go on to explore Handel’s background and the circumstances in which the Water Music was written.

There is then an overview of the suite as a whole followed by a detailed analysis of each movement, examining in particular Handel’s use of instruments and instrumental forces.

Finally, there is a section on instruments of the time, advice on what to listen for when spotting differences between two different performances and some practice questions.