George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (1685 – 1759 ) was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his training in Halle and worked as a composer in Hamburg and Italy before settling in London in 1712, where he spent the bulk of his career and became a naturalised British subject in 1727. He was strongly influenced both by the middle-German polyphonic choral tradition and by composers of the Italian Baroque. In turn, Handel's music forms one of the peaks of the "high baroque" style, bringing Italian opera to its highest development, creating the genres of English oratorio and organ concerto, and introducing a new style into English church music. He is consistently recognized as one of the greatest composers of his age.

Queen Caroline, consort of George II, had been friend and patron to Handel for more than thirty years when she died in 1737. An accomplished amateur musician herself, Caroline took a lively interest in artistic and intellectual matters, and was widely mourned at her death. Handel received the commission for her funeral and composed the anthem within a week to a text chosen by the sub-dean of Westminster Abbey, Edward Willes, mostly from the Biblical books of Lamentations and Job. At the funeral, according to contemporary accounts, "…the great Bells of the Cathedral of St. Paul and of many Churches in London and Westminster were tolled. And the Tower Guns kept firing all the while, at a Minute’s Distance between each". Handel's anthem was performed in Westminster Abbey by "near 80 vocal performers and 100 instrumental from His Majesty’s band, and from the Opera, etc." The Duke of Chandos, Handel's former patron, wrote of the anthem "the composition was exceedingly fine, and adapted very properly to the melancholy occasion.

The anthem begins with a chorus that recalls the chorales used in the Lutheran church services Handel attended and composed music for as a young man. The musical material is developed contrapuntally and ends in an impressive fugue. Tender choruses "When the ear heard her" and "She delivered the poor", expressing the Queen's gentle character, alternate with repeated and powerful choral interjections of "How are the mighty fall'n." The work comes to a quiet conclusion. Musical historian and Handel's first biographer, Charles Burney, ranked "The Funeral Anthem of Queen Caroline" as the finest of all Handel's compositions.

The chorus "Their bodies are buried in peace" quotes the music of Jacob Handl's setting of Ecce quomodo moritur justus.

Source: Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Funeral_Anthem_for_Queen _Caroline#:~:text=The%20ways%20of%20Zion%20do,(Lamentat ions%202%3A10).).

Although originally composed for 2 Violins, Soprano and Basso Continuo, I created this Arrangement of the "The merciful goodness of the Lord" from the Funeral Anthem for Queen Caroline (HWV 264 Mvt. 12) for Winds (Flute, Oboe, French Horn & Bassoon) & Strings (2 Violins, Viola & Cello).