The "Frost Scene" in the third act has always attracted
praise from critics. Edward J. Dent wrote that "The
Frost Scene is one of Purcell's most famous
achievements" with "its bold contrasts of style, and
the masterly piling up of the music to a climax at the
end of the chorus ''Tis love that has warmed us'.
Thomas Gray, commenting on the 1736 production,
described it as "excessive fine" and claimed that the
Cold Genius' solo was "the finest song in the play."