Handels's 'Water Music'

On this day in 1717 two barges sailed on the Thames from Lambeth to Chelsea. One carried George I and his friend’s; the other was filled with musicians. It was the debut of Handel’s ‘Water Music’. There are two theories to this story. One is that George I need the music to drown out the abuse he received from passing Thames watermen and the other is that George, being German, wanted to be associated with one of the foundations of English identity.