Blog Post 17: Handel
Arrival of the Queen of Sheba - for Woodwind quintet
Plus! tips on Arranging for Woodwind Quintet
Thanks for stopping by, and welcome to my blog! I hope you had a great week. In this blog post, I will discuss my latest digital download arrangement for woodwind quintet (WQ) of the sinfonia “Arrival of the Queen of Sheba” from George F. Handel’s masterful oratorio Solomon. I will also discuss some tips on arranging for a wind quintet.
George F. Handel:
“Arrival of the Queen of Sheba” from the oratorio Solomon, for woodwind quintet.
Do you love this sinfonia or do you have another favorite Handel piece? We are interested in your feedback. Please share your ideas and thoughts about this in the comments below.
By the way, have you performed any of our CMP arrangements? If so, we would greatly appreciate it if you could leave a review. Click here to leave a review on my CMP YouTube Channel. If you have posted a YouTube video of a CMP arrangement, do not forget to tag us on your channel, and we will tag you back. Thanks so much! Happy practicing!
Before we continue, here are three music trivia questions about Handel to challenge you; I will reveal the answers towards the end of this blog post. I hope you enjoy them.
First, which modern-day country encompasses the ancient Kingdom of Saba (Sheba), home to the legendary queen depicted in Handel’s Solomon?
Second, Handel’s Arrival of the Queen of Sheba was performed at which two major international events in London in the last two decades?
And third, which famous conductor was the first person to ever record Handel’s “Arrival of the Queen of Sheba”?
Tell me your answers in the comments below, or feel free to share any other interesting musical facts you might know about Handel or this amazing composition. Now, let’s continue with the topic at hand.
Here is a photo from 1726 of the composer George F. Handel. At this time in his life, he was living in London, on the faculty of the Royal Academy of Music, and had just premiered two operas: Alessandro and Scipio.
Public Domain
Arranging for Woodwind Quintet
Whenever I write arrangements for woodwind quintets, much like writing for clarinet quartet, there are several things to take into consideration: the technical challenges of the music, the attempt to achieve a good dynamic contrast within the parts, employing a painstaking, keen attention to detail, the proficiency and breath capacity (playing longevity) of the individual players (particularly French Horn and Oboe), the struggle to achieve a perfect balance between the players taking into account the timbre and extended range utilization of each instrument, and so on. These are just a few of the challenges arrangers face when writing for a woodwind quintet. CMP arrangements are designed to address these issues, resulting in well-written, well-balanced works.
CMP arrangements offer equally balanced parts, mainly because I came from the Air Force Band world, where the quality of musicians was incredibly high, and therefore, each player deserved a challenging part. Many published arrangements do not offer this option, as they are written for educational purposes, with junior high or high school band students in mind, each with widely varying levels of proficiency. By writing well-balanced parts, CMP keeps all players happy by distributing melody, counter melody, technical passages, and support passages. That is why so many musicians comment that Mark A. Craig's arrangements are fun to play (see my About Us page for Testimonials).
Another key feature of CMP arrangements is that they are created with players in mind; therefore, we provide a good number of breaks for each player, so that parts are not too taxing. It is important to offer players challenging parts, but also with adequate breaks to maintain both mental and physical stamina. We also strive to include good page turns so that individual players do not have to either: 1) tape their parts together to make page turns work or 2) fret over Bluetooth foot pedals, facial gestures, or eye tracking for page turns in the middle of a passage. Nothing is more frustrating than bad page turns, which can add even more stress to a performance. Although these might seem like minor features of an arrangement, they all add up to higher-quality arrangements and happier players.
Sir Edward John Poynter: The Visit of the Queen of Sheba to King Solomon (1890)
Handel: Arrival of the Queen of Sheba - for Woodwind quintet
This lively advanced intermediate woodwind quintet digital download arrangement of the sinfonia "Arrival of the Queen of Sheba" from Act III of George F. Handel's oratorio Solomon is one of the most popular pieces chosen for performance at wedding gigs. It is also a great opener or closer for recitals and is perfect for contests, competitions, graduations, background-dinner-music gigs, and educational outreach events. This spirited arrangement, from the Baroque Era, was written for college ensembles and professional quintets.
As always, I have included an alternate bass clarinet part in lieu of a missing bassoon. You would be surprised how often this part comes in handy. Written in 1749, this exuberant and sprightly sinfonia was created to depict the bustling preparations and fervor surrounding the Queen of Sheba's regal state visit to the UK. Originally scored for strings, continuo, and a pair of Baroque oboes, this charming, exceptional arrangement of a Handel favorite will bring a taste of Olde England to your next musical event.
To take a closer look at this arrangement and the key points arrangers should keep in mind while transcribing this Baroque masterpiece for wind quintet, we actually find fewer challenges than usual in certain respects. For example, with the built-in Soli-versus-Tutti sections, the composer has created built-in breaks for the players. Only the two soloists play during the Soli section, and then they can rest during the Tutti sections. The remaining three players, therefore, have a break during the Soli sections and can then easily fill out the Tutti sections. So, one main concern for the players has already been addressed.
In addition, this Baroque masterpiece works well for just about everybody in a wind quintet. The parts are not too taxing for anyone, including the bassoonist, which is rare, and the piece is written in a good key for everyone. Although this is an advanced intermediate arrangement, the technical requirements are not particularly demanding. Most of the “noodles” come in the form of scales or arpeggios, which any woodwind player will know “in their sleep.” Although written as a feature for the flute and oboe, the clarinet has the lead line in all the tutti sections with some great “licks,” and the bassoon has a fun part, too. The horn is used as effectively as possible given the source material, but it is not the most exciting part; fortunately, it is not too taxing either. Overall, it is a fun arrangement to play and will add a classy touch to any performance.
After reading this blog post, you might be interested in purchasing exceptional arrangements for winds. But, where can I buy high-quality, hand-crafted digital download sheet music arranged for clarinet quartets? Woodwind quartets? Clarinet quintets? Woodwind quintets? Clarinet choirs?
Craig Music Publishers!
Support a veteran-owned business and give your audiences an evening of great music with high-quality, expertly hand-crafted arrangements by purchasing digital downloads in our Shop, organized by ensemble type for your convenience.
Music Trivia Questions
First question: Which modern-day country encompasses the ancient Kingdom of Saba (Sheba), home to the legendary queen depicted in Handel’s Solomon?
Joy V. Spicer tells us that “The kingdom of Sheba is believed to be based on the ancient civilization of Saba in South Arabia. Women rulers at that time were not uncommon; queens from the 8th and 7th centuries BC are listed in Assyrian inscriptions.” A quick Google search reveals that the Kingdom of Saba in South Arabia, also known as the Ancient South Arabian civilization (c. 1000 BCE–275 CE), is now the modern country of Yemen.
Spicer, J. V. (2016, October 30). The Sunday section: Music - “The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba” and George Frideric Handel. Joy V Spicer. https://www.joyvspicer.com/joy-blog/2016/10/30/the-sunday-section-music-the-arrival-of-the-queen-of-sheba-and-george-frideric-handel
Second question: Handel’s Arrival of the Queen of Sheba was performed at which two major international events in London in the last two decades?
Handel’s “Arrival of the Queen of Sheba” was performed during both the opening ceremonies of the London Olympic Games in 2012 and as part of the coronation service of King Charles III in 2023.
Wikipedia contributors. (2026, January 17). The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 22:14, March 30, 2026, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Arrival_of_the_Queen_of_Sheba&oldid=1333448129
Third question: Which famous conductor was the first person to ever record Handel’s “Arrival of the Queen of Sheba”?
According to Michael H. Gray, in his 1979 book, Beecham: A Centenary Discography, British conductor Sir Thomas Beecham was the first person to record Handel’s classic sinfonia. He recorded this track with the London Philharmonic Orchestra for Columbia Records on 6 May 1933 at the iconic Abbey Road Studios in London, the same studio where The Beatles recorded their legendary albums. He also recorded Rossini’s Overture to La scala di seta (The Silken Ladder) at this session.
These two pieces were released as a complete “set” on a 78 RPM record. If you are wondering why this recording is so short, 78 RPMs could hold only roughly 3-5 minutes of music on each side. LPs were not invented till 1948. If you do not know what an LP is, ask your grandparents. If you have seen my Instagram videos, you will know from the music trivia question in my most recent video that Sir Thomas Beechman was also responsible for creating the modern title of this Handel sinfonia. Click here to subscribe to my Instagram channel.
Gray, M. H. (2010, June 3). Beecham: A Centenary discography. Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=xB0KAQAAMAAJ&q=%22of%2Bthe%2Bqueen%2Bof%2Bsheba%22
Thanks for taking the time to stop by and read my blog. I hope you enjoyed my musings on music. I will be back in two weeks with more anecdotes, memories, and passions for music. In the meantime, you can listen to my arrangement of Handel’s “Arrival of the Queen of Sheba” from the oratorio Solomon for woodwind quintet by clicking on the MP3 player below. Then click here to purchase it from our Shop. If you have not yet spoken up, tell me in the comment section below what your favorite Handel composition is or which arrangements you might be interested in seeing on CMP. I would love to hear about it. Thanks for stopping by. See you in my next blog!
3 April 2026
Cover art for George F. Handel’s “Arrival of the Queen of Sheba” from the oratorio Solomon - for Woodwind Quintet
