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Left: Handel's 1711 autograph score showing the opening few bars of the aria; Right: 1876 aria sheet music

"Lascia ch'io pianga" (English: "Let me weep"), originally "Lascia la spina, cogli la rosa"
(English: "Leave the Thorn, Take the Rose"), is an Italian-language soprano aria by
composer George Frideric Handel that has become a popular concert piece.

Contents

 1History
 2Music
 3Libretto
 4Notes
 5References
 6External links

History[edit]
Its melody is first found in act 3 of Handel's 1705 opera Almira as a sarabande;[1] the score for this
can be seen on page 81 of Vol. 55[2] of Friedrich Chrysander. Handel then used the tune for the aria
"Lascia la spina, cogli la rosa", or "Leave the Thorn, Take the Rose", for the character Piacere in part
2 of his 1707 oratorio Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno (which was much later, in 1737, revised
as Il trionfo del Tempo e della Verità).[3]
Four years after that, in 1711, Handel used the music again, this time for his London
opera Rinaldo and its act 2 aria "Lascia ch'io pianga" ("Let me weep"), a heartfelt plea for her liberty
addressed by the character Almirena to her abductor Argante. Rinaldo was a triumph, and it is with
this work that the aria is chiefly associated.
Music[edit]
Handel wrote the aria in the key of F major with a time signature of 3
2 and a tempo marking of Largo.  In the first edition published by John Walsh, the orchestration is
[a]

unspecified,  giving only a solo melody line above an unfigured bass line. There is the mention
[4]

'violins' at bar 23 where the singer breaks (bar 31 in most modern editions which include an 8-bar
introduction). Chrysander claimed[5] to have worked from Handel's 'performance score' and stated
that the autograph manuscript had been lost (although RISM state that the British Library hold a
fragment of the autograph missing 53 bars);[6] Chrysander's edition shows two violins and a viola with
a cello. He does not provide figuring for the continuo. It is not clear whether he invented the
additional string parts himself (as he often did) or found them in the performance score to which he
referred. Most modern editions seem to be based upon Chrysander's version, as can be seen from
the different placement of certain syllables in the melismata in his version and in the Walsh first
edition.
A performance takes about five minutes.
The aria has been recorded by many artists, and is featured in several films including Farinelli;[7] All
Things Fair by Bo Widerberg;[8] L.I.E. by Michael Cuesta; Antichrist[9] and Nymphomaniac, both
by Lars von Trier.

Libretto[edit]

Pages from the 1711 libretto; Italian on the left, Aaron Hill's text on the right

Cardinal Benedetto Pamphili's text and lyrics for the 1707 version of the aria are:
Lascia la spina, cogli la rosa;
tu vai cercando il tuo dolor.
Canuta brina per mano ascosa,
giungerà quando nol crede il cuor.
Leave the thorn, pluck the rose;
you go searching for your pain.
Hoary frost by hidden hand
will come when your heart doesn't expect it.
Handel's 1739 pasticcio Giove in Argo also has a "Lascia la spina" aria, but a shorter one, less
known, and set to a different melody.
The libretto for Rinaldo was written by Giacomo Rossi from a scenario provided by Aaron Hill.
Almirena is addressing the Saracen king of Jerusalem, Argante, who is holding her prisoner and has
just disclosed his passion at first sight for her.[b]
Rossi's Italian text
Lascia ch'io pianga
mia cruda sorte,
e che sospiri
la libertà.

Il duolo infranga
queste ritorte,
de' miei martiri
sol per pietà.
Literal translation
Let me weep over
my cruel fate,
and let me sigh for
liberty.

May sorrow shatter

these chains,
for my torments
just out of pity.
Hill's original text
Permit the wretched to complain
Of their unhappy fate;
The loss of liberty's a pain
That should our sights create.

When you wou'd comfort an afflicted mind,

Pity, not love, shou'd make you kind.

Notes
Lascia Ch’Io Pianga Analysis Filed Under: EssaysTagged With: music 2
pages, 616 words The analysis of the aria “Lascia ch’io pianga” by Haendel
according to the thorough bass method, shows us how the composer refer in
this piece to the typical compositional procedures of baroque music. The aria
starts with a pedal (frame, according to Joel Lester’s terminology) followed by
a cadence harmonized according the regle de l’octave both in ascending and
descending motion (MM. 5-8). The second episode starting at M. 8 consists of
a sequence, precisely a modified sequence, in which the subsequent is
slightly modified at the end introducing a new harmony on the second beat of
M. 12 that leads to a final cadence with a modulation to the original key. The
regle is always working also in the sequence, it is just applied chromatically
according the harmonic context. After two repetitions of the first phrase, with a
small difference in MM. 17 and 34 with a 6-chord instead of a 5-chord on the
second subdivision of the second beat, we have the last section of the aria,
before the da capo. In this last section there is a modified sequence (MM. 35
to 39) followed by a cadence that leads to the end of the piece. In general,
most of the harmonies in the piece reflect the indications of the regle but there
are some exceptions. The most interesting part in which the regle is not
applied is at the very beginning of the aria: the use of 7 on the second degree,
instead of 6. This is the harmony that more that any other characterizes this
piece, giving a smoother flavor to the passage than the dominant harmony
suggested by the regle. Aside from the exception, it is interesting to see where
Haendel follows strictly the regle, and this happens in every final cadence,
probably as a sign that in the closing sections the use of the regle is more
functional and gives a stronger sense of harmonic definition. 1 page, 385
words The Essay on The Development Of Harmony In The Renaissance The
Development of Harony in the Renaissance The development of harmony in
the Renaissance came from John Dunstable, Josquin des Prez and Adriaan
Willaert. John Dunstable significant contribution to the theory and practice of
composition was the introduction of more melodic music and outlining chords
as a part of the melody. This incorporated a more tonal center in his works
and in the music as a ... In the fundamental bass, the bass line consists of a
series of roots that not only represent the roots of the harmonies built on top
of then, but also physically generates these harmonies. Any kind of harmony
should be reduced to triads and sevenths and the motion of the bass-line
should be by fifths and fourths. In “Lascia ch’io pianga” is possible to
understand all the harmonies as fifths and sevenths but the bass-line motion
not always moves naturally by fifths and fourths. In many cases, through the
use of the double-emploi, is has been possible to correct some irregular
motions into fifth motion, but still for some of them it hasn’t been possible.
Probably the most evident example is the motion by second occurring
between MM. 6 and 7, and between MM. 11 and 12. The fundamental-bass
analysis bring into play notes that are supposed, that are not in the score but
affect the music as the roots of a tree feed the last leaf on the highest branch.
In this case, we can see how the sense of motion that we perceive listening to
this aria is perfectly explained and justified by the succession of seventh chord
and fifth chord, as the epitome of the arsi-tesi feeling in music. Even in the first
two measures, that look really simple in the thorough bass analysis, we can
still discover something that makes this beginning not so obvious. In the first
measure the F is transformed into D with a seventh chord on top, and the
accumulation of this seventh with the next one in the second measure create
a sense of instability and a need to resolve. In the next measures this tension
will be released through a succession of 5-chord with two final combinations
7-5 to close the episode. Request Removal If you are the original writer of this
essay and no longer wish to have the essay published on the Educheer.com
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Rinaldo is an opera in three acts with music by Georg Friedrich Händel (1685-1759) and
a libretto in Italian by Giacomo Rossi based on the epic poem of The Liberated
Jerusalem by Torquato Tasso. It was premiered at Haymarket's King's Theater in
London in 1711, and featured the two most famous castrati of the time, Nicolò Grimaldi
"Nicolini" and Valentino Urbani.
The aria Lascia ch’io pianga, perhaps Händel's most famous, has few words, but its
music is so sublime that it pierces the soul like few others. It is a sigh to free oneself
from the chains and embrace freedom.

Why have we chosen it?

Because of its beauty and because we all miss freedom in these times of isolation due
to the pandemic.

Lascia ch'io pianga

mia cruda sorte,
e che sospiri
la libertà;
e che sospiri...
e che sospiri...
la libertà.

Il duolo infranga
queste ritorte
de' miei martiri
sol per pietà;
de' miei martiri
sol per pietà.
Let me cry
my cruel destiny,
and that I sigh
for freedom;
and to sigh...
and to sigh...
for freedom.

Let the pain break

these chains
of my martyrdoms
just out of pity;
of my martyrdoms
just out of pity.

Rinaldo (opera)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigationJump to search

Almirena's recitative, and few bars of "Lascia ch'io pianga", from Handel's 1711 autograph score

Rinaldo (HWV 7) is an opera by George Frideric Handel, composed in 1711, and was

the first Italian language opera written specifically for the London stage. The libretto was
prepared by Giacomo Rossi from a scenario provided by Aaron Hill, and the work was
first performed at the Queen's Theatre in London's Haymarket on 24 February 1711.
The story of love, war and redemption, set at the time of the First Crusade, is loosely
based on Torquato Tasso's epic poem Gerusalemme liberata ("Jerusalem Delivered"),
and its staging involved many original and vivid effects. It was a great success with the
public, despite negative reactions from literary critics hostile to the contemporary trend
towards Italian entertainment in English theatres.
Handel composed Rinaldo quickly, borrowing and adapting music from operas and
other works that he had composed during a long stay in Italy in the years 1706–10,
during which he established a considerable reputation. In the years following the
premiere, he made numerous amendments to the score. Rinaldo is regarded by critics
as one of Handel's greatest operas. Of its individual numbers, the soprano aria "Lascia
ch'io pianga" has become a particular favourite, and is a popular concert piece.
Handel went on to dominate opera in England for several decades. Rinaldo was revived
in London regularly up to 1717, and in a revised version in 1731; of all Handel's
operas, Rinaldo was the most frequently performed during his lifetime. After 1731,
however, the opera was not staged for more than 200 years. Renewed interest
in baroque opera during the 20th century led to the first modern professional production
in Handel's birthplace, Halle, Germany, in 1954. The opera was mounted sporadically
over the following thirty years; after a successful run at New York's Metropolitan
 Opera in 1984, performances and recordings of the work have become more frequent
worldwide. Rinaldo was the first Handel opera to have found its way to the Metropolitan.
[1]
 The opera's tercentenary in 2011 brought a modernized production at
the Glyndebourne Festival.

Contents

 1Background
 2Roles
 3Synopsis
o 3.1Act 1
o 3.2Act 2
o 3.3Act 3
o 3.4Revisions, 1717 and 1731
 4Compositional history
 5Performance history and reception
o 5.1Early performances
o 5.2Modern revivals
 6Music
 7Arias and other musical numbers
o 7.11717 libretto and subsequent amendments
 7.1.1Act 1
 7.1.2Act 2
 7.1.3Act 3
o 7.2Additions and replacements, 1717
o 7.3Additions and replacements, 1731
 8Editions
 9Recordings
 10References
o 10.1Notes
o 10.2Sources
 11External links

Background[edit]
Handel began to compose operas in Hamburg, where he spent the years 1703–06; his
principal influences were Johann Mattheson and Reinhard Keiser.[2][3] At that time,
German opera as a genre was still not clearly defined; in Hamburg the
term Singspiel ("song-play") rather than opera described music dramas that combined
elements of French and Italian opera, often with passages of spoken German dialogue.
The music was, in the words of historian Donald Jay Grout, "tinged with the serious,
heavy formality of Lutheran Germany".[4] The first of Handel's early works in the German
style was Almira, a considerable success when it was premiered on 8 January 1705.
[5]
 Over the next three years Handel composed three more operas in the German style,
but all of these are now lost. However, fragments of the music from these works have
been identified in later operas.[6]
Handel, c. 1729

In autumn 1706 Handel went to Italy. He stayed for long periods

in Florence, Rome, Naples and Venice, making frequent visits to the opera houses and
concert halls. He obtained introductions to leading musicians, among them Arcangelo
Corelli, Alessandro and Domenico Scarlatti, and Agostino Steffani,[7] and met numerous
singers and performers. From these acquaintances Handel learned the essential
characteristics of Italian music, in particular (according to Dean and Knapp) "fluency in
the treatment of Italian verse, accurate declamation and flexible harmonic rhythm in
recitative, ... drawing the necessary distinction between vocal and instrumental material
and, above all, the release of [his] wonderful melodic gift". [8] Handel's first Italian
opera, Rodrigo, showed an incomplete grasp of Italian style, with much of Keiser's
Hamburg influence still evident; it was not a success when premiered in Florence, in
late November or early December 1707.[7] He followed this by a lengthy visit to Rome,
where opera performances were then forbidden by papal decree, [9] and honed his skills
through the composition of cantatas and oratorios. In Rome, Handel met
Cardinal Vincenzo Grimani, a diplomat and spare-time librettist; [10] the result of this
meeting was a collaboration which produced Handel's second Italian opera, Agrippina.
After this work's triumphant premiere at the Teatro San Giovanni Grisostomo in Venice,
on 26 December 1709, Handel became, says biographer P. H. Lang, "world famous and
the idol of a spoiled and knowledgeable audience". [11]
Georg Ludwig, Elector of Hanover and later George I of Great Britain, appointed Handel to the Hanover court in
1710.

This sudden recognition led to eager competition for Handel's services. [12] Among those
most keen to employ him was Prince Georg Ludwig, the Elector of Hanover and future
King George I of Great Britain. In June 1710 Handel accepted the appointment
of Kapellmeister to Georg's Hanover court, under terms that gave him considerable
scope to pursue his own interests. On the basis of this freedom, in late 1710 Handel left
Hanover for London, possibly in response to an earlier invitation from members of the
English nobility.[13] By 1711, informed London audiences had become familiar with the
nature of Italian opera through the numerous pastiches and adaptations that had been
staged. The former Royal Academy of Music Principal, Curtis Price, writes that the
popularity of these pieces was the result of a deliberate strategy aimed at the
suppression of English opera.[14] Handel's music was relatively unknown in England,
though his reputation from Agrippina was considerable elsewhere. A short "Italian
Dialogue" he had written in honour of Queen Anne's birthday was well received when
performed at St James's Palace on 6 February 1711.[15]
In London, by means which are not documented, Handel secured a commission to write
an Italian opera for the Queen's Theatre in the Haymarket (it became the "King's
Theatre" after King George I's accession in 1714). [16] This theatre, designed and built by
Sir John Vanbrugh, had become London's main opera house; its manager, Aaron Hill,
intended to mount the first Italian opera written specifically for London and had engaged
an all-Italian company for the 1710–11 opera season. [15] Hill employed an Italian poet
and language teacher, Giacomo Rossi, to write a libretto based on a scenario that Hill
prepared himself.[17] As his subject Hill chose Gerusalemme liberata, an epic of the First
Crusade by the 16th-century Italian poet Torquato Tasso; the opera was called Rinaldo,
after its main protagonist.[15] Hill was determined to exploit to the full the opportunities for
lavish spectacle afforded by the theatre's machinery; his aim, according to Dean and
Knapp, was "to combine the virtuosity of Italian singing with the extravagance of the
17th century masque".[18]

Roles[edit]
Roles, voice types, and premiere cast
Premiere cast, 24
Role Voice type
Notes February 1711 Ref.
(in singing order) (1711)[12]
Conductor:[19]
Goffredo: leader of the contralto (en Francesca Vanini-
Tenor after 1731 revision [20]

First Crusade. 1096–99 travesti) Boschi

Written in soprano clef, now
Rinaldo: a nobleman of Nicolò
alto castrato sung by a contralto, mezzo- [20]

the House of Este Grimaldi ("Nicolini")

soprano or countertenor
Almirena: daughter of
soprano Isabella Girardeau [20]

Goffredo
[20][21]
Eustazio: brother to alto castrato This part was eliminated Valentino
Goffredo before the 1717 revival, and Urbani ("Valentini")
 is often omitted from modern
productions
A herald tenor Bass in 1731 revival "Lawrence" [20]

Argante: Saracen  king of Contralto in 1731 revival,

bass Giuseppe Boschi [20]

Jerusalem now usually bass

Armida: Queen of
Contralto in 1731 revival, Elisabetta Pilotti-
Damascus, Argante's soprano [20][22]

now usually soprano Schiavonetti

mistress
Two mermaids sopranos Not recorded [20]

In some productions the

A woman soprano woman's lines are sung by a Not recorded [20]

mermaid
A Christian magician alto castrato Bass from 1731 revival Giuseppe Cassani [20]

Mermaids, spirits, fairies, Non-singing

officers, guards, attendants parts

Synopsis[edit]
 Place: in and around the city of Jerusalem during the First Crusade
 Time: 1099
Act 1[edit]
The Crusader army under Goffredo is laying siege to Jerusalem, where the Saracen
king Argante is confined with his troops. With Goffredo are his brother Eustazio, his
daughter Almirena, and the knight Rinaldo. As Goffredo sings of the coming victory,
Rinaldo declares his love for Almirena, and Goffredo confirms that she will be Rinaldo's
bride when Jerusalem falls. Almirena urges Rinaldo to fight boldly and assure victory.
As she departs, a herald announces the approach of Argante from the city. Eustazio
surmises that the king fears defeat; this seems to be confirmed when Argante, after a
grandiose entrance, requests a three-day truce to which Goffredo graciously assents.
After Goffredo leaves, Argante ponders his love for Armida, the Queen of Damascus
who is also a powerful sorceress, and considers the help her powers might bring him.
As he muses, Armida arrives from the sky in a fiery chariot. She has divined that the
Saracens' only chance of victory lies in vanquishing Rinaldo, and has the power, she
claims, to achieve this.
The scene changes to a garden, with fountains and birds, where Rinaldo and Almirena
are celebrating their love. They are interrupted as Armida appears, and wrests Almirena
from Rinaldo's embrace. Rinaldo draws his sword to defend his lover, but a black cloud
descends to envelop Armida and Almirena, and they are borne away. Rinaldo mourns
the loss of his loved one. When Goffredo and Eustazio arrive they comfort Rinaldo, and
propose they visit a Christian magician who may have the power to save Almirena.
Rinaldo, left alone, prays for strength.
Act 2[edit]
Armida falls in love with Rinaldo. 1616 painting by Nicolas Poussin.

A sea shore. As Goffredo, Eustazio and Rinaldo near the magician's lair, a beautiful
woman calls from her boat, promising Rinaldo that she can take him to Almirena. Two
mermaids sing of love's delights, and urge Rinaldo to go in the boat. He hesitates,
unsure what to do, and his companions attempt to restrain him. Angry at the abduction
of his loved one, Rinaldo enters the boat, which immediately sails off. Goffredo and
Eustazio are shocked at Rinaldo's impulsiveness and believe that he has deserted their
cause.
In Armida's palace garden, Almirena mourns her captivity. Argante joins her and,
overcome by her beauty, confesses that he now loves her. He promises that as proof of
his feelings he will defy Armida's wrath and secure Almirena's freedom. Meanwhile,
Rinaldo is brought before the triumphant Armida. As he demands that Almirena be set
free, Armida finds herself drawn to his noble spirit, and declares her love. When he
angrily rejects her she uses her powers to assume Almirena's form, but Rinaldo
suspects trickery, and departs. Armida, resuming her own appearance, is furious at her
rejection yet retains feelings of tender love. She decides on another attempt to ensnare
Rinaldo, and transforms herself back into Almirena's shape, but then encounters
Argante. Believing her to be Almirena, Argante repeats his earlier promises of love and
freedom. Swiftly resuming her own form, Armida denounces his infidelity and vows
vengeance. Argante defiantly confirms his love for Almirena and declares that he no
longer needs Armida's help. She departs in a fury.
Act 3[edit]
A mountainside, at the magician's cavern. Goffredo and Eustazio are told by the
Magician that Almirena is being held captive in Armida's palace at the mountain-top.
Ignoring the magician's warning that they will need special powers, the pair set off for
the palace but are quickly driven back by Armida's monsters. The magician then gives
them magic wands that transcend Armida's power, and they set off again. This time they
overcome the monsters, but as they reach the gates of the palace it disappears, leaving
them clinging to a rock in the midst of a stormy sea. They climb the rock and descend
out of sight.
In the palace garden Armida prepares to kill Almirena. Rinaldo draws his sword, but
Armida is protected from his wrath by spirits. Suddenly Goffredo and Eustazio arrive,
but as they touch the garden with their wands it disappears, leaving them all on an
empty plain with the city of Jerusalem visible in the distance. Armida, after a last attempt
to kill Almirena, also disappears as Rinaldo strikes her with his sword. The remaining
four celebrate their reunion, while Goffredo announces that the attack on Jerusalem will
begin the next day.
In the city, Argante and Armida, in danger from a common enemy, become reconciled
and prepare their troops for battle. Goffredo's army advances, and battle finally
commences. After a struggle for supremacy, Jerusalem falls to Goffredo; Argante is
overcome and captured by Rinaldo, while Armida is taken by Eustazio. Rinaldo and
Almirena celebrate their love and forthcoming marriage. Armida, accepting her defeat,
breaks the wand which is the source of her evil power and together with Argante
embraces Christianity. Goffredo expresses his forgiveness to his beaten foes and sets
them free, before victors and vanquished join in a chorus of reconciliation.
Revisions, 1717 and 1731[edit]
The opera was frequently revised, most particularly in 1717 and in 1731; modern
performances are usually a conflation of the versions available. Up to and including
1717, these changes had no significant effect on the plot. In the 1731 version, however,
in act 2 Armida imitates Almirena's voice rather than assuming her appearance, and
Argante declares his love to Almirena's portrait rather than to her face. In act 3 the
marches and the battle scene are cut; Armida and Argante remain unrepentant and
vanish in a chariot drawn by dragons before the conclusion. [23]

Compositional history[edit]

Pages from the 1711 libretto; Italian on the left, English translation on the right

In a letter dedicating the new opera to Queen Anne, Hill wrote of his choice of story: "I
could not chuse a finer Subject than the celebrated story of Rinaldo and Armida". He
had, however, exercised "a Poet's Privilege", to render Tasso's work suitable for the
stage. This "privilege" moved the opera's story a long way from Tasso's original. Hill
invented a new heroine, Almirena, to provide the main love interest with the hero
Rinaldo, and the relationship between Rinaldo and Armida scarcely figures in the opera.
Likewise, the affair between Argante and Armida is Hill's creation, as are the
conversions to Christianity, the latter possibly a sop to English susceptibilities.[18] Rossi
was required to turn the elaborate scenario into verses, a relatively light task which, he
said, was "the delivery of a few evenings".[17] Nevertheless, Rossi complained that
Handel hardly gave him time to write: "To my great wonder I saw an entire Opera set to
music by that surprising genius, with the greatest degree of perfection, in two weeks".
[18]
 Price argues that Rossi's role was beyond that of a mere versifier, quoting Hill's words
of praise for Rossi in the preface to the libretto, which suggest that Rossi was the senior
partner in the birth of the libretto. Price also points to the likely influences on the
structure of Rinaldo from two British semi-operas—George Granville's The British
Enchanters, and Purcell's King Arthur. The transformations of characters to others'
shapes, Price contends, is likely derived from John Dryden's play Amphitryon.[24]
Handel's speed of composition was assisted by his inclusion of arias and other numbers
from his earlier Italian works, among them "Bel piacere" and "Basta che sol"
from Agrippina, "Sibillar gli angui" from the dramatic cantata Aci, Galatea e Polifemo,
and the mermaids' song "Il vostro maggio" from the cantata Arresta il passo.
[18]
 Almirena's aria "Lascia ch'io pianga" had appeared in the oratorio Il trionfo del Tempo
e del Disinganno.[23] The suitability of some of these insertions has been questioned by
later commentators; Dean and Knapp cite Argante's "Sibillar gli angui", with its
references to the hissing snakes of Alecto and the howls of Scylla, as "ludicrously
inappropriate" to accompany the king's grand act 1 entrance. Many other numbers—
Dean and Knapp estimate two-thirds of the arias—were adapted and partly recomposed
from earlier sources.[18]
In the years between the 1711 premiere and the 1717 revival, Handel made various
adjustments to the score and the vocal parts, often to accommodate the requirements of
new singers. Details of these changes are difficult to establish since the performing
librettos and scores for these years no longer exist. For 1717, more significant revisions
were made; the role of Eustazio was merged with that of Goffredo, and Argante's part
was rewritten to accommodate an alto voice. Thus in this revival all the principal parts
were sung in high voice ranges.[21] Handel's revisions for the 1731 revival were even
more radical, since they not only affected individual musical numbers but involved
alterations in the plot. The production was advertised "With New Scenes and Cloathes",
but many of the changes involved reducing or eliminating the pyrotechnics and special
effects that had characterised the original production. The only significant new music in
the 1731 production is a long accompanied recitative for Rinaldo, though other numbers
are changed or cut. Goffredo becomes a tenor, Armida a contralto, the Herald and the
Magician become basses. Dean and Knapp summarise the 1731 revisions as "a striking
illustration of the seeming vandalism with which Handel could treat his works in revival".
[25]

Performance history and reception[edit]

Early performances[edit]
The opera house in the Haymarket – first known as the Queen's Theatre and then later as the King's Theatre –
where many of Handel's works, including Rinaldo, were first performed

The 19th-century music critic George Hogarth wrote of Rinaldo that "[t]he romantic

interest of the subject, the charms of the music, and the splendour of the spectacle,
made it an object of general attraction".[26] Its premiere at the Queen's Theatre on 24
February 1711, possibly under Handel's direction, was a triumphant success. A further
12 performances were immediately scheduled; at the end of the run, popular demand
was such that two more were added.[27] Notwithstanding this enthusiasm, the financial
strains of such a grand production led to legal actions against Hill from unpaid
craftsmen. Nine days after the premiere the Lord Chamberlain's Office revoked the
impresario's licence.[28] Under Hill's successors the opera was played at the theatre in
most seasons until 1716–17, by which time it had totalled 47 performances, far more
than any other opera at the Queen's.[29]
The public's general enthusiasm for the opera was not shared by the writers Joseph
Addison and Richard Steele, who used the pages of their new journal, The Spectator, to
pour scorn and ridicule on the work. [30] Addison may have been motivated by his own
failure, a few years previously, to establish a school of English opera with Rosamund,
on which he had collaborated with the composer Thomas Clayton. [31] It was absurd, he
wrote, that theatre audiences should be exposed to entire evenings of entertainment in
a foreign tongue: "We no longer understand the language of our own stage". [30] Addison
did, however, praise the singing of Nicolò Grimaldi, the celebrated alto castrato known
as "Nicolini", in the title role. Steele compared the production unfavourably to a Punch
and Judy show, particularly criticising certain bungled scene changes and the poor
quality of effects such as thunder and lightning. [27] Hogarth made light of such comments:
"Notwithstanding the influence which the Spectator influenced over the taste and
manners of the age, its attacks ... seem to have had little effect in turning people from
the entertainment".[26]
Some sources have suggested that the opera was performed in Dublin in March or April
1711,[32][33] though according to Dean and Knapp there is no record of such an occasion.
[27]
 In November 1715 a version mainly in German was performed in Hamburg. This
production, based on a translation by the playwright Barthold Feind, proved to be very
popular and was revived in the city on numerous occasions during the 1720s. A
pastiche of the opera, with additional numbers by Leonardo Leo, was presented by Leo
at the Royal Court in Naples in 1718, with Nicolini singing his original role.[25]
After 1716–17, Rinaldo was not seen on the London stage until 1731, when it was
revived in its revised form at the King's Theatre. During these years Handel's industry
was such that he was producing a new opera for this theatre every nine months. [34] The
1731 production of Rinaldo received six performances, bringing the London total for the
work to 53 in Handel's lifetime, the most for any of his operas. [27] After 1731 Handel had
fewer stage successes, and performances of his operas became rarer. Changes in
taste and style combined, as Grout concludes, to "thrust [the operas] into ill-deserved
oblivion",[3] as a result of which Rinaldo was not staged anywhere for two hundred years.
[23]

Modern revivals[edit]
The first 20th-century production of Rinaldo which can be specifically verified was a
performance in London, in February 1933, by pupils of the Hammersmith Day
Continuation School,[23] though Dean and Knapp mention a shortened version, in Czech,
at the Prague Conservatory in 1923.[25] The first modern professional performance was
at the Halle Opera House in June 1954, under Horst-Tanu Margraf, as part of
the Handel Festival. On 17 May 1961 the Handel Opera Society, directed by Charles
Farncombe, staged the work at London's Sadler's Wells Theatre, a production that was
revived four years later.[23][35] The first American performance was a concert version
at Carnegie Hall on 27 March 1972, given by the Handel Society of New York, with
Stephen Simon conducting and Beverly Wolff as Rinaldo.[36] The first staging of the
opera in America was at the Houston Grand Opera under Lawrence Foster, in October
1975, with Marilyn Horne in the title role, a part with which she would become
particularly associated on American stages.
In July 1982 Horne sang the part alongside John Alexander's Goffredo and Samuel
Ramey's Argante, in a National Arts Centre (NAC) production in Ottawa directed
by Frank Corsaro. The performance, with Mario Bernardi conducting the NAC
Orchestra, was applauded by Montreal Gazette critic Eric McLean for its fine music
making and its displays of "architectural and sartorial splendour". [37] Eighteen months
later, on 19 January 1984 Bernardi and Corsaro, with Horne, Ramey and Benita
Valente from the Ottawa cast, brought the production to New York for the work's debut
at the Metropolitan Opera. The production was loaned to the Met for its centennial
season by the National Arts Centre of Canada "in deep appreciation of the many years
during which Canadians have enjoyed opera from the Met – on tour, on radio and in
New York".[38] Donal Henahan in The New York Times praised all the singers in turn, with
a special mention for Valente's "plaintive and affecting" rendering of the popular aria
"Lascia ch'io pianga". But, says Henahan, "the loudest cheers of the night went at last to
the choreographer, Eugene Collins, and an incredibly nimble corps of tumbling
warriors".[39] After ten performances at the Metropolitan Opera House the production was
taken in May to Washington, D.C., and toured in the US before returning to New York in
June for several outdoor performances.[38]
From the mid-1980s onwards, performances of Rinaldo became more frequent
worldwide. In June 1989 it was staged at La Fenice in Venice, under John Fisher, again
with Marilyn Horne. This production was criticised by critic and music scholar Stanley
Sadie, in his review of the live recording, for straying too far from the composer's
original intentions, particularly in the rearrangement of material and the extent of cuts.
Singers were, Sadie says, allowed too much freedom to ornament their vocal lines;
some of the cadenzas were "preposterous".[40] The opera reached Australia in 1999, at
the Sydney Opera House under Patrick Summers,[41] and was performed there again in
July–August 2005 under Trevor Pinnock, with Michael Chance as Rinaldo.[42] The new
century saw a number of performances across Europe, including an appearance at
the Göttingen International Handel Festival in 2004, with Nicholas
McGegan conducting Concerto Köln. This production was well received by the public,
but was criticised by Jochen Breiholz of Opera News for poor staging, indifferent singing
and a substandard performance from the orchestra.[43]
Zurich Opera's 2008 production, directed by Jens-Daniel Herzog and conducted
by William Christie, threw aside all convention by representing the action in a 21st-
century airport lounge and conference centre, with Rinaldo dressed in a double-
breasted navy blazer and needing a drink. "Characters go up and down on-stage
escalators, and the set spins to show various areas of the lounge and terminal. There is
a dissection of a small, white furry animal, a large snake, some allusions to Bond girls
and character transformations. The Christians pull guns on the Muslims at a signing
ceremony". It was, wrote Associated Press critic Ronald Blum, "outrageous – and
entertaining".[44] A concert version of Rinaldo was given at the 2009 Edinburgh Festival,
by the Bach Collegium Japan conducted by Masaaki Suzuki, with the Japanese
soprano Maki Mori as Almirena.[42]
During the opera's tercentenary year in 2011, the Glyndebourne Festival mounted a
new production directed by Robert Carsen, designed by Gideon Davey, and conducted
by Ottavio Dantone with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment in the pit. The
production is set in a school where Rinaldo is a student, initially the victim of bullying,
who enters into the world of the Crusades.[45] The Glyndebourne Festival Opera brought
a semi-staged version of this production to the 2011 Proms.[46]

Music[edit]

Detail from Marco Ricci's 1709 painting Rehearsal for an Opera. Ricci was a stage painter at the Queen's
Theatre, and this singer is assumed to depict Nicolini, the house's principal alto castrato.
The amount of recycled music in Rinaldo is such that Dean and Knapp call it an
"anthology" of the best works from Handel's Italian period. [18] Sadie raises the question of
whether the opera's dramaturgy is affected by the small amount of music written for its
particular situations. He also comments on the problems raised for scholars by the
extensive revisions to the music that took place during Handel's lifetime, but suggests
that the available admixture creates interesting opportunities in the preparation of
modern performing versions.[40] The initial popular success of Rinaldo was assisted by
the employment of virtuoso singers, in particular Nicolini in the title role. [12] This part has
remained in its original pitch, though in his various revisions Handel transposed the
music of other leading roles to different voice types. Thus Goffredo had originally been
an alto part, but in the 1717 revisions became a tenor; the Magician was transposed
from alto castrato to bass, and Armida from soprano to contralto. [25]
The music, Lang says, flows "beguilingly" from the spacious overture; the quieter,
emotional passages are illustrated evocatively, while in the more spectacular moments
Handel's innovative use of brass is exciting and inspiring. [47] The sudden blast of
trumpets which announces the march in act 3 provides, say Dean and Knapp, "an effect
of splendour and exhilaration that time has not dimmed". [48] The harpsichord solos which
decorate "Vo' far guerra" in act 2 were originally improvised on the keyboard by Handel
during performances, and were extremely popular. They were remembered and written
down by William Babell, and published later as separate pieces. Lang believes that in
spite of the borrowings, and the hasty manner in which the work was put
together, Rinaldo is one of Handel's great operas.[47] According to Dean and Knapp, no
Italian opera heard in London to that point had been supported by such "majestic"
orchestral forces.[48] Critic Anthony Hicks describes the music, overall, as both "varied
and excellent".[23] Dean and Knapp's verdict is more equivocal. The music for the war
and pageantry scenes, they say, is "brilliantly successful", but in depicting the scenes
concerned with magic, Handel misses the mark; they suggest it was not until over 15
years later, with Admeto and Orlando, that he was able to represent the supernatural
convincingly in music.[18]
The opera begins in the key of F, and switches to G at the inception of the grove scene
in act 1. Act 2 starts in E minor and ends in G. The final act begins and ends in B minor.
[20]
 According to Hicks the dominant character musically, except in act 3 in which she
barely sings, is Armida. Her entry cavatina "Furie terribili" gives, says Hicks, "an
immediate impression of fiery passion", an energy and intensity demonstrated in her act
2 "Ah crudel", and in her later vengeance aria which is the occasion of Handel's
harpsichord cadenzas.[23] Armida's act 3 duet with Argante was the last duet with bass
part that Handel wrote for 30 years. Of the other set pieces, Dean and Knapp highlight
Rinaldo's "Cara sposa" as an example of Handel's growing confidence with aria forms.
"Or la tromba" is praised for the brilliance of its orchestration: 4 trumpets, drums, strings
& oboes—the only aria Handel ever wrote for this combination. The melody for
Almirena's "Lascia ch'io pianga" began its life as an Asian dance in Almira before
appearing as an aria in the oratorio Il trionfo. From this simple tune and plain
accompaniment Handel achieves an "intensely moving effect" in this, the best-known of
all the arias.[49]
Arias and other musical numbers[edit]
1717 libretto and subsequent amendments[edit]
The main musical numbers from the 1711 libretto are listed, together with changes and
replacements from the two major revisions of 1717 and 1731. Minor changes,
transpositions, and alterations to recitative sections are not shown. New numbers
introduced in 1717 and 1731 are listed separately. Other arias not listed may have been
sung in Rinaldo during the years 1711–17, but in the absence of contemporary
evidence from scores or librettos the extent of such changes cannot be accurately
ascertained.[21][25]
Act 1[edit] Act 2[edit] Act

 Sinfonia (overture)  "Siam prossimi al porto" (Eustazio) (1717: cut; 1731: 

 "Sovra balze scoscesi e pungenti" (Goffredo) partly restored, sung by Goffredo) 
 "Combatti da forte" (Almirena) (1731: replaced  "Il vostro maggio" (Sirene)
with "Quel cor che mi donasti")  "Il tricerbero umiliato" (Rinaldo) 
 "Ogni indugio d'un amante" (Rinaldo)  "Mio cor, che mi sai dir?" (Goffredo) 
 "Sulla ruota di fortuna" (Eustazio) (1717: cut; 1731:  "Lascia ch'io pianga" (Almirena) 
revived, amended and allocated to Argante)  "Basta che sol tu chieda" (Argante) (1717: replaced 
 "Sibillar gli angui d'Aletto" (Argante) (1717: with "Ogni tua bella stilla" and in 1731 with "Per
replaced with "Sorte amor vuol che quest'alma", which salvarti, idolo mio")
was cut in 1731)  "Fermati!/No, crudel!" (Duet, Armida and Rinaldo) 
 "No, no, che quest'alma" (Goffredo) (1731:  "Abbrugio, avampo e fremo" (Rinaldo) 
replaced with "D'instabile fortuna")  "Dunque i lacci d'un volto" (Accompanied recitative,
 "Vieni o cara, a consolarmi" (Argante) (1731: Armida) 
replaced with amended "Sulla ruota di fortuna")  "Ah! crudel, Il pianto mio" (Armida) 
 "Furie terribili!" (Armida)  "Vo' far guerra, e vincer voglio" (Armida)
 "Molto voglio, molto spero" (Armida) (1731: 
replaced with a modified version of "Combatti da 
forte")

 "Augelletti, che cantate" (Almirena)
 "Scherzano sul tuo volto" (Duet: Almirena and
Rinaldo)
 Sinfonia
 "Cara sposa, amante cara" (Rinaldo)
 "Cor ingrato, ti rammembri" (Rinaldo)
 "Col valor, colla virtù" (Eustazio) (1717: cut)
 Venti, turbini, prestate (Rinaldo)
Additions and replacements, 1717[edit]

 Act 1: "Sorte amor vuol che quest'alma" (Argante)

 Act 2: "Vieni, o caro, che senza il suo core" (Almirena)
 Act 2: "Ogni tua bella stilla" (Argante)
 Act 3: "Pregio è sol d'un alma forte" (Argante) (1731: cut)
 Act 3: "Si t'amo" (Almirena)
Additions and replacements, 1731[edit]

 Act 1: "Quel cor che mi donasti" (Almirena)

 Act 1: "D'instabile fortuna" (Goffredo)
 Act 2: "Arma lo sguardo" (Armida)
 Act 2: "Per salvarti, idolo mio" (Argante)
 Act 3: "Orrori menzogneri" (accompanied recitative, Rinaldo)

Editions[edit]
No complete autograph score exists; fragments representing about three-quarters of the
1711 score are held by the Royal Music Library (a subdivision of the British Library in
London) and the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge. The oldest complete score, dating
from about 1716, is an error-strewn manuscript that may be a copy from one or more of
the performing scores from that period. The manuscript bears numerous notes and
corrections in Handel's hand, and was possibly the basis for the substantial revisions
which he effected in 1731. It was also used by the copyist John Christopher Smith to
produce two performing scores for the 1720s Hamburg performances. Further complete
manuscript copies were produced by Smith and others in 1725–28 (the "Malmesbury"
score), 1740 ("Lennard") and 1745 ("Granville"). These provide many variations of
individual numbers.[50]
During the initial run at the Queen's Theatre the publisher John Walsh printed Songs in
the Opera of Rinaldo, in mainly short score form. Apart from the overture, instrumental
numbers were omitted, as were the recitatives. In June 1711 Walsh published a fuller
version, which included instrumental parts; he continued to publish versions of individual
numbers, with a variety of orchestrations, until the 1730s. In 1717 William Babell issued
an arrangement for harpsichord of the overture and seven of the arias. Friedrich
Chrysander published editions of the whole opera in 1874 and in 1894, based on a
study of the existing published and manuscript material. In 1993 David Kimbell, for
the Hallische Händel-Ausgabe (HHA), produced a full score of the 1711 version,
together with rejected draft material and the additional numbers introduced in revivals
up to 1717. HHA has also produced a complete score of the 1731 version. [51]
The libretto was published in London by the Queen's Theatre in February 1711, to
coincide with the premiere, with Hill's English translation. Revised versions followed in
1717 and 1731 to reflect the changes introduced in those years; Rossi is believed to
have prepared the Italian additions and revisions, with the 1731 English credited to "Mr.
Humphreys". Feind's German versions of the libretto were published in Hamburg in
1715, 1723 and 1727.[52]

Recordings[edit]
Main article: Rinaldo discography
The first full recording of Rinaldo (an "excerpts" disc had preceded it by two years) was
made in 1977 by CBS, with Carolyn Watkinson in the title role, Ileana Cotrubaș as
Almirena, and Jean-Claude Malgoire conducting La Grande Écurie et la Chambre du
Roy.[53] The work, recorded in a Paris church, was based on the 1711 score; Alan
Blyth in Gramophone praised the standard of the singing, and despite reservations
about the sound quality, called it one of the most enjoyable of available Handel opera
recordings.[54] There was no further recording of Rinaldo available until 1990, when John
Fisher's heavily cut version from La Fenice was issued.[40] Another decade passed
before the appearance of Christopher Hogwood's 1999 Decca recording, again based
on the original score, with the countertenor David Daniels as Rinaldo, Cecilia Bartoli as
Almirena and Catherine Bott in the small part of First Mermaid. Gramophone's reviewer
called this issue "a treat for Handel lovers – a rare recording of one of the composer's
richest operas, with a strong and starry cast". [55] Since then several more versions have
been made available: Harry Bicket's 2001 recording for Arthaus, which was later issued
as a DVD;[56][57] René Jacobs with the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra for Harmonia Mundi in
2001;[58] and a performance by the Aradia Ensemble under Kevin Mallon, recorded in
2004 and issued under the Naxos label in 2005.[59]

References[edit]
Notes[edit]
1. ^ https://www.nytimes.com Archived 8 January 2014 at the Wayback Machine – Article:
Review: Handel's 'Rinaldo', With Period Brass in Good Repair.
2. ^ Grout and Weigel, pp. 184–85
3. ^ Jump up to:a b Grout, p. 157
4. ^ Grout, pp. 112–14 and pp. 116–20
5. ^ Dean and Knapp, pp. 64–65
6. ^ Dean and Knapp, pp. 69–77
7. ^ Jump up to:a b Boyden et al., p. 56
8. ^ Dean and Knapp, p. 84
9. ^ Dean, p. 86
10. ^ Lang, p. 91
11. ^ Lang, p. 106
12. ^ Jump up to:a b c Dean and Knapp, p. 181
13. ^ Lang, p. 110
14. ^ Price, p. 121
15. ^ Jump up to:a b c Hicks, Anthony. "Handel, George Frideric: 4. Hanover, Düsseldorf and
London". Oxford Music Online.  Archived  from the original on 9 March 2017. Retrieved 30
January  2011.(subscription required)
16. ^ Lang, pp. 117–18
17. ^ Jump up to:a b Dean, Winton.  "Rossi, Giacomo".  Oxford Music Online. Archived from the original
on 9 March 2017. Retrieved 30 January  2011.(subscription required)
18. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e f g Dean and Knapp, pp. 171–74
19. ^ It is suggested by Robert Hume in a biographical sketch of Aaron Hill that Handel conducted
the orchestra. See Hume, Robert D.  "Hill, Aaron". Oxford Music Online.  Archived  from the original on
9 March 2017. Retrieved 6 February 2011.(subscription required)
20. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e f g h i j k Dean and Knapp, pp. 180–81
21. ^ Jump up to:a b c Dean and Knapp, pp. 184–85
22. ^ Dean and Knapp, p. 168
23. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e f g Hicks, Anthony.  "Rinaldo". Oxford Music Online.  Archived  from the original
on 9 March 2017. Retrieved 28 January  2011.(subscription required)
24. ^ Price, p. 125
25. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e Dean and Knapp, pp. 186–91
26. ^ Jump up to:a b Hogarth, p. 272
27. ^ Jump up to:a b c d Dean and Knapp, pp. 182–83
28. ^ Hicks, Anthony.  "Handel's  Rinaldo  – Character descriptions translated from the Italian
version of the libretto". Academy of Ancient Music. Archived from the original  on 30 September 2008.
Retrieved 8 November 2008.
29. ^ Dean and Knapp, p. 156
30. ^ Jump up to:a b Schonberg, Harold C. (26 September 1975). "Opera in English? No,
Thanks"  (PDF). The New York Times. p.  133.(subscription required)
31. ^ Lang, pp. 120–21
32. ^ Lang, p. 120
33. ^ See, for example, Anna Menichetti in the line notes to Nuova Era recording 6813/14, 1991
34. ^ Steen, p. 47
35. ^ Arts Council of Great Britain, Annual Report 1965–66. Arts Council of Great Britain. 1966.
p. 59.
36. ^ Henahan, Donal (29 March 1972). "Rinaldo  Has Everything a Baroque Opera Needs". The
New York Times. p.  37. Archived from the original on 6 November 2012.(subscription required)
37. ^ McLean, Eric (5 July 1982). "Festival Opera Gives Fine Account of Handel's   Rinaldo". The
Gazette. Montreal: D–3.
38. ^ Jump up to:a b "Metropolitan Opera database". Metropolitan Opera. Archived from the original on
11 June 2012. Retrieved 28 January  2011.
39. ^ Henahan, Donal (20 January 1984). "A Triumph for Handel".  The New York
Times.  Archived  from the original on 3 March 2016.(subscription required)
40. ^ Jump up to:a b c Sadie, Stanley  (April 1990).  "Handel:  Rinaldo". Gramophone.
p. 126.  Archived  from the original on 5 November 2012. (subscription required)
41. ^ "Rinaldo".  Opera: 55. January 2000.
42. ^ Jump up to:a b "Rinaldo: Représentations". Opéra Baroque. Archived from the original on 9
February 2011. Retrieved 6 February 2011.(in French)
43. ^ Breiholz, Jochen (September 2004). "Rinaldo: Göttingen Internationale Händel-
Festspiele".  Opera News. Vol.  69 no. 3. Archived from the original on 24 November
2011. (subscription required)
44. ^ Blum, Ronald (20 June 2008). "Handel with care: Zurich 'Rinaldo' set in airport". Associated
Press. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011.
45. ^ Christiansen, Rupert  (4 July 2011).  "Rinaldo, Glyndebourne opera, review".  The Daily
Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 11 June 2016. Retrieved  15 May  2016.
46. ^ "Prom 55 (2011): Handel—Rinaldo". BBC Proms.  Archived  from the original on 7
September 2011. Retrieved  31 August 2011.
47. ^ Jump up to:a b Lang, pp. 119–20
48. ^ Jump up to:a b Dean and Knapp, p. 179
49. ^ Dean and Knapp, pp. 176–78
50. ^ Dean and Knapp, pp. 191–94
51. ^ Dean and Knapp, pp. 197–205
52. ^ Dean and Knapp, pp. 194–96
53. ^ Thomas, Christopher J (1985). "Rinaldo  and  Rinaldo highlights". The Opera
Quarterly. 3  (3): 183–88.  doi:10.1093/oq/3.3.183.
 54. ^ Blyth, Alan  (February 1978).  "Handel:Rinaldo".  Gramophone. p.  125. Archived from the
original on 5 November 2012. (subscription required)
55. ^ "Handel:  Rinaldo".  Gramophone. January 2000. p. 96.  Archived  from the original on 5
November 2012. (subscription required)
56. ^ Rohan, Michael Scott (May 2003). "Handel:  Rinaldo".  Gramophone. p.  85. Archived from
the original on 5 November 2012. (subscription required)
57. ^ "Handel:  Rinaldo. List of recordings". Presto Classical.  Archived  from the original on 25
January 2010. Retrieved  4 February  2011.
58. ^ Sadie, Stanley (May 2003).  "Handel:  Rinaldo". Gramophone. p. 78.  Archived  from the
original on 5 November 2012. (subscription required)
59. ^ Quinn, Michael (September 2004). "Session Report: The Aradia
Ensemble's  Rinaldo".  Gramophone. p.  11. Archived from the original on 5 November
2012. (subscription required)

Sources[edit]

 Boyden, Matthew, Kimberley, Nick and Staines, Joseph (2007). The Rough

Guide to Opera. London: Rough Guides. ISBN 978-1-84353-538-6.
 Dean, Winton (1980). "George Frideric Handel". In Sadie, Stanley (ed.). The
New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. 8. London: Macmillan. pp. 85–
138. ISBN 0-333-23111-2.
 Dean, Winton; Knapp, J Merrill (1995). Handel's operas: 1704–1726. Oxford:
Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780198164418. Originally published in 1987
 Grout, Donald Jay; Weigel, Hermione (1947). A Short History of Opera, Vol. 1.
New York: Columbia University Press.
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York: Columbia University Press.
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Richard Bentley.
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 Price, Curtis (1987). "English Traditions in Handel's Rinaldo". In Sadie,
Stanley; Hicks, Anthony (eds.). Handel: Tercentenary collection. London:
Macmillan. ISBN 0-8357-1833-6.
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Icon books. p. 47. ISBN 978-1-84046-679-9.

External links[edit]
 1711 libretto in Italian, prepared by Haendel.it
 Chrysander's 1874 version of the 1711 score: Scores at the International Music
Score Library Project
 Chrysander's 1894 version of the 1731 score: Scores at the International Music
Score Library Project
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 George Frideric Handel

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Torquato Tasso's Jerusalem Delivered

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Authority control 
Categories: 
 Operas by George Frideric Handel
 Italian-language operas
 Opera seria
 1711 operas
 Operas
 Operas based on works by Torquato Tasso
 Cultural depictions of Godfrey of Bouillon