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.
Beecham-Handel suites
The first Handel-Beecham arrangement was given simply as "Suite – Handel" at a concert in February 1924. In April of that year Beecham conducted the London Symphony Orchestra in a recording of the work. The suite consisted of four movements: