In 1748, Georg Friedrich Händel was 63 years old. His eyes were failing. Within a few years he would be completely blind. And he sat down and wrote the most joyful two minutes of his entire career. This is the Arrival of the Queen of Sheba — a sinfonia from his oratorio Solomon, written to depict the moment the Queen of Sheba enters King Solomon's court. Two oboes racing each other. Strings underneath, buoyant and unstoppable. The whole thing runs forward like it can't wait to get where it's going. Händel was born in 1685 — the same year as Johann Sebastian Bach, and the same year as Domenico Scarlatti. Three giants of Baroque music, born within months of each other. By 1748, Bach had three more years to live. Händel had eleven. He spent them going blind, conducting his own oratorios from memory when he could no longer read the score, and continuing to compose at an output that left younger men exhausted. Seven years earlier, in 1741, he had written the entire Messiah in 24 days. Every aria. Every chorus. Every note. In less than a month. This piece comes from the same hand. The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba was played at the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana in 1981 — watched by 750 million people worldwide. It has opened concerts, ceremonies, and state occasions across three centuries. Because it sounds exactly like what it was written to depict: a great arrival. Something magnificent, coming toward you, full of light and speed and certainty. Written by a man who could barely see. 💬 Did you know this was played at Charles and Diana's wedding? Tell me in the comments. 🎹 Händel – Arrival of the Queen of Sheba from Solomon, HWV 67 (1748) Follow @greatestmusiccomposer for the stories behind the greatest music ever written. #handel #classicalmusi #baroque #orchestra #piano - @greatestmusiccomposer