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Barging Down The Thames With The Jubilee Girl by Curtis Rittenhouse

By on April 4, 2012

Reports from London bankside are that members of the London Philharmonic are rehearsing on the Thames River in preparation for a concert June 3 in honor of the Queen’s sixtieth year on the throne. The concert is billed as a Last Night of the Proms-style concert with several new pieces commissioned for the occasion. That means dollops of Elgar and Parry, Britten and Walton with a lusty contribution from the audience.

Music lovers should be put in mind of the famous concert in 1717 when local musician Georg Friedrich Handel, who had played hookey from his palace duties on the continent, won royal favor from King George I by drifting down the river into a royal party playing his newly composed Water Music. Historians have questioned the accuracy of the tale, but the water, the music, the king and the composer are all vouched for. 

This time conductor David Parry is forward on the barge, which will travel 25 miles from Putney to the Tower Bridge, as part of a 1000-boat flotilla. The Royal Marine Band, Academy of Ancient Music, Royal Jubilee Bells and many contemporary groups in addition to the LPO, will make up the colossal Diamond Jubilee celebration. It seems like the Water Music may be heard in part (how could they resist), as well as some Elton John and Paul McCartney.  Among those afloat will be the royal yacht carrying the 86-year old queen and members of her family.

The queen has already proved herself a good sport. March 26 she showed up unannounced at the wedding of John and Frances Canning at Manchester Town Hall in response to an invitation that had been send as a lark and politely declined by the palace.  At the last minute, the royal itinerary was changed and the happy couple got the surprise of their lives as the queen walked in. Mrs. Canning, a hairdresser from nearby Preswich, later told reporters, “She was very nice. She knew our names and told me I looked lovely. I’ve had to get a larger book for the wedding pictures. Not many people will have pictures like that.”

Queen crashes couple s wedding

One note of caution: when Handel premiered his later Royal Fireworks Music for George II on 27 April 1749, a sparky roman candle went astray and set fire to the entire VIP pavilion, scattering the royal party and sending other attendees scampering across Green Park. A three-hour traffic jam resulted, caused by the collapse of the center section of London Bridge under the 12,000 attendees all trying to escape in their horse-drawn carriages. We hope June 3 will be without such incident.

Curtis Rittenhouse

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