‘Water Bubbling’ for chamber organ (2006)

Several motifs from the ‘Water Music’ appear in this work, which seems to illustrate many water ‘features’, not just bubbling, but flowing, cascading, freezing, evaporating, drenching…

The music is one of eight brand new works selected from the 98 international entries to the Handel-Inspired Composition Competition, played on the 1998 chamber organ (one manual, no pedals) by Goetze and Gwynn, a reproduction of a mid-eighteenth century instrument owned by Charles Jennens (‘librettist’ of Messiah), commissioned by the Handel House Museum.
Paul Ayres

♫ The beginning of this piece [0:29] mp3
Music of e-book with complete audio file
→CD

Handel-Inspired

 [PRCD 894]

Handel-Inspired music by G F Handel, Played by Paul Ayres on Goetze&Gwynn’s ‘Handel House’ organ at St George’s Church Hanover Square

« Handel’s keyboard music »
Overture to Esther
Fugue in A minor
Voluntary in C major

« Arrangements of Handel’s instrumental music »
Minuet & Bourrée, from Music for the Royal Fireworks
Sinfonia from Solomon (“The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba”)
Pieces for Musical Clock

« Handel-Inspired pieces from the nineteenth century »
Alexandre Guilmant – Paraphrase
Samuel Wesley – Variations on Gavot from Handel’s Ottone
William Wolstenholme – Introduction and Allegro, from Sonata for the Organ in the style of Handel

« Handel-Inspired pieces from the twenty-first century »
Paul Ayres, after Handel – The Departure of the Queen of Sheba
John Ellis – Overture and Gigue, from Handel-Inspired Suite
John Hawkins – Footnote
Satoru Ikeda – Water Bubbling
Krzysztof Aleksander Janczak – Le Tombeau d’Handel
Jos Martens – Little Prelude
Thomas Neal – Lednah Loblied
Akmal Parwez – In Handel’s Name
Alan Smith – Scherzo on “Gopsal”

Ayres is outstanding as composer, arranger, editor and skilful player. . . this CD is undoubtedly one of the most enjoyable and original recordings I’ve heard. (The Gramophone, May 2008)