The two first numbers of the ‘Free Settings of Favourite Melodies’ were written out on 28 July 1922 whilst Grainger was teaching at the Chicago Musical College. The
Hornpipe from Handel’s
Water Music, however, appears to have been thought out earlier than this. It is a straightforward treatment of the original melody, though technically more demanding than it sounds.
from notes by Barry Peter Ould © 2002