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 Bar...(+)
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.
After spending some of his early career composing
operas and other pieces in Italy, he settled in London,
where in 1711 he had brought Italian opera for the
first time with his opera Rinaldo. A tremendous
success, Rinaldo created a craze in London for Italian
opera seria, a form focused overwhelmingly on solo
arias for the star virtuoso singers. In 1719, Handel
was appointed music director of an organisation called
the Royal Academy of Music (unconnected with the
present day London conservatoire), a company under
royal charter to produce Italian operas in London.
Handel was not only to compose operas for the company
but hire the star singers, supervise the orchestra and
musicians, and adapt operas from Italy for London
performance.
Aci, Galatea e Polifemo (HWV 72) is a dramatic
cantata—also called a serenata—by George Frideric
Handel. It was first performed at Naples on 19 July
1708; the completed score is dated to 16 June 1708. The
serenata was commissioned by Duchess Donna Aurora
Sanseverino for the wedding festivities of the Duke of
Alvito, Tolomeo Saverio Gallo, and Beatrice Tocco di
Montemiletto, Princess of Acaja and niece of Aurora
Sanseverino.
The Italian libretto was written by Nicola Giuvo,
private secretary and literary adviser of Duchess
Sanseverino. The plot is virtually the same as in
Handel's later English-language pastoral opera Acis and
Galatea, but Handel drew little on the music of the
cantata when he returned to the story in 1718, although
he did take care to introduce the half-lovable villain
— the one-eyed giant Polyphemus — with another
signature comic aria, faster and demanding virtuosity
of a different kind than the one in Aci (see below),
namely, "O ruddier than the cherry."
The role of Polifemo (Polyphemus), a cyclops whose
actions have lethal consequences for Aci (Acis), is
particularly notable for the vast range and singular
vocal agility required. The part ranges from the D
below the bass staff to the A above it — and that in
his main satirical slow, ponderous buffa aria, "Fra
l'ombre e gl'orrori". The role may have been taken at
the premiere by the bass Antonio Manna, who sang at the
court chapel in Vienna.
Source: Wikipedia
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aci,_Galatea_e_Polifemo)
.
Although originally scored for Violini, Viola, Bass &
Bassi, I created this Interpretation of the Aria "Fra
l'ombre e gl'orrori" from "Aci, Galatea e Polifemo"
(HWV 72 Act 2 No. 6) for String Ensemble (2 Violins,
Viola, Cello & Bass).
PARTITION