Cocktail Party Fact: Royalty’s greatest enemy was boredom. When the king of England decided to go on a little boat trip down the river Thames, Handel composed this music for the occasion, to be played from a musician’s barge floating alongside the king’s. Now of course, we just take along a boom box.

Commitment Factor: About 50 minutes

Vital Statistics: Baroque Period (1717). The music may or may not appear grouped into three “suites,” each containing a series of dance movements. Most Baroque dance suites (also called “Overtures”) contain a large first movement (overture), and then a short succession of dance pieces. Handel, however, simply provides the widest possible variety of dance movements, with no larger formal structure or introduction.

What to Listen For: This is entertainment music, plain and simple. The writing for wind instruments (especially horns) is particularly striking. Remember, this is music meant to be played out of doors, and the piercing quality of wind instruments carries much better than the softer strings.