Acis and Galatea, HWV 49 (George Frideric Handel)

Music files

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(Posted 2006-01-29) CPDL #10037: pp. 1-26: pp. 27-50: pp. 51-74: pp. 75-100: (MIDI)

Editor: Michael Gibson (submitted 2006-01-29). Score information: Letter, 24 pages, 2.93 MB Copyright: CPDL

Edition notes: 4 PDF Sections make up complete vocal score (page numbers at bottom, musical numbers at top of page). MIDI files are zipped. Based on Joseph Barnby's SATB rearrangement of choruses.

Excerpts

(Posted 2008-07-23) CPDL #17685:

Contributor: David Newman (submitted 2008-07-23). Score information: Letter, 7 pages, 303 kB Copyright: Public Domain

Edition notes: recit. & aria for bass: "I Rage, I Melt / O Ruddier than the Cherry" Edition in G Minor, piano reduction by Ebenezer Prout

General Information

Title: Acis and Galatea, HWV 49
Composer: George Frideric Handel
Lyricists: John Gay, Alexander Pope and John Hughes

Number of voices: 5vv Voicing: SATTB
with Solo STTB Soli:

Galatea - soprano

Acis - tenor

Damon - tenor (treble in the 1718 version)

Polyphemus - bass

Coridon - tenor (1718 only)

Genre: Secular, Opera

Language: English
Instruments: Orchestra

First published:
Description: There are quite a few incarnations of this work: the serenata/cantata for 3 singers Aci, Galatea e Polifemo (HWV 72) was written in 1708. Handel wrote completely new music for the serenade/masque Acis and Galatea in 1717-18 for 5 singers (published 1722). In 1732 he made a 3 act version borrowing some music from Aci, Galatea e Polifemo as well as other Italian works (and dropping the role of Coridon), and in 1739 he reworked the 1718 version into 2 acts. The 1732 version continued to be revised through 1741. Mozart adapted the work in 1788 (K. 566).

External websites:

Acis and Galatea, HWV 49 (George Frideric Handel) at the Petrucci Music Library (IMSLP)
Entry at "Art Song Central" for "O ruddier".
Wikipedia's entry for "Acis and Galatea".
Synopsis and Libretto of the opera "Acis and galatea".
complete scanned score of Chrysander edition from the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek.
More on Mozart version as staged by Mark Morris

Original text and translations

English text

Recit:
I rage, I rage, I melt, I burn!
The feeble god has stabbed me to the heart.
Thou trusty pine, prop of my god-like steps,
I lay thee by!
Bring me a hundred reeds of decent growth,
to make a pipe for my capacious mouth;
in soft enchanting accents
let me breathe sweet Galatea’s beauty, and my love.

Aria:
O ruddier than the cherry,
O sweeter than the berry,
O nymph more bright than moonshine night,
Like kidlings blithe and merry!

Ripe as the melting cluster,
No lily has such lustre;
Yet hard to tame as raging flame,
And fierce as storms that bluster!