Music for the Royal Fireworks made clear to Handel that King George had a preference for only martial instruments and drums, and hoped there would be "no fiddles". Handel omitted the string instruments against his will. Also against Handel's will, there was a full rehearsal of the music in Vauxhall Gardens and not in Green Park. On 21 April 1749 an audience, claimed to be over twelve thousand people, each paying two shillings and six pence (half a crown) rushed to get there, causing a three-hour traffic jam of carriages on London Bridge, the only vehicular route to the area south of the river. Six
2003 in British music 2003 in British music This is a summary of 2003 in music in the United Kingdom. Both Andrew Glover and Peter Maxwell Davies produced several new orchestral/instrumental works. British film score composer Rachel Portman produced an opera, "The Little Prince", commissioned by the Houston Opera and premièred in the USA. Michael Nyman, during his period as Composer-in-Residence at Badisches Staatstheater in Karlsruhe, Germany, produced his "Violin Concerto" and an opera "", with libretto by Michael Hastings. It was premièred at the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe in the following year. The 2003 BRIT Awards winners were: The winners of the Ivor Novello