River Thames
The Water Music composed by George Frideric Handel premiered on 17 July 1717, when King George I requested a concert on the River Thames. The concert was performed for King George I on his barge and he is said to have enjoyed it so much that he ordered the 50 exhausted musicians to play the suites three times on the trip.
George Frideric Handel
In 1747 Handel wrote his oratorio "Alexander Balus". This work was produced at Covent Garden Theatre in London, on 23 March 1748, and to the aria "Hark! hark! He strikes the golden lyre", Handel wrote the accompaniment for mandolin, harp, violin, viola, and violoncello. Another of his English oratorios, "Solomon", was first performed on 17 March 1749 at the Covent Garden Theatre. "Solomon" contains a short and lively instrumental passage for two oboes and strings in act 3, known as "The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba".