Knapp HandelsTamerlanoCreation 1970

Handel's "Tamerlano:" The Creation of an Opera
Author(s): J. Merrill Knapp

Source: The Musical Quarterly , Jul., 1970, Vol. 56, No. 3 (Jul., 1970), pp. 405-430
Published by: Oxford University Press
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/741246
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HANDEL'S TAMERLANO:
THE CREATION OF AN OPERA
By J. MERRILL KNAPP
OPERA historians have sometimes been curiously negligent in trac-

ing the growth of a work from its inception as an idea, a play, a
poem, a short story, or even a previous libretto down to the finished
product in the composer's hands. One must readily admit that compared
to the music there has generally been little detailed information about the
history of a libretto. Aside from the correspondence of some composers
like Verdi and Strauss, the researcher has had to fall back on a series of
generalized statements to the effect that so-and-so drew his libretto from
such-and-such a source, and if the reader wants to learn how this was
accomplished, he can examine the source himself and compare it to the
libretto. What the author may have omitted or included in his text or
what problems he has resolved are matters generally left vague and in-
substantial. When an adaptation from Shakespeare by a Boito is exam-
ined, however, the result can be enormously instructive, and Boito's lasting
contribution as a poet and dramatist has been openly recognized. For
most other operas, however, the original source and the adaptor have not
been on such a high level, and a discreet silence reigns. If a reason exists,
it is because the libretto has too often been considered an inferior work
of art or a silly adjunct which must be tolerated for the sake of the music.
Yet obviously by its very nature the libretto may determine the quality
of an opera and cannot always be passed off as an unwelcome necessity.
Thoughts of this kind occur quite frequently when Handel's operas
are examined. His librettos, the majority of which were adaptations of
earlier Italian 17th- and 18th-century librettos for a London audience,
are generally dismissed as inferior hackwork. This is not the place to de-
bate their faults or their merits except to say that within the conventions
of the day they served their purpose fairly well. The invariably happy
ending, the complicated subplots, the emphasis on honor, duty, and vir-
tue, the accidenti verissimi, the scenic structure of recitative and aria with
405

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406 The Musical Quarterly
an exit at the end are all well-known to students of opera

condemn them out of hand, as it is often done, is inadmissi
so many exceptions to the so-called norm that one must be
wary of generalization. With so fertile and dramatic compos
increasing evidence indicates that if he wished he could be v
lar about the nature of the text he set to music. He did not hesitate to
change words and switch lines around if the music would gain by the
alteration. Handel was, above all, a man of the theater, and most of the
time he knew exactly what he wanted.
One of his most extraordinary though little-known works is the opera
Tamerlano. It was first given in London on October 31, 1724; heard
eleven more times that season in November, 1724, and May, 1725;'
taken to Hamburg in the autumn (not by Handel) for a bilingual pro-
duction (recitative in German, arias in Italian); and revived for three
performances in November, 1731. The work was not heard again until
the 20th century.
Tamerlano came between the much better-known Giulio Cesare in
Egitto (February, 1724) and Rodelinda (February, 1725), both of
which have been given a considerable number of productions in Ger
many, England, and America in the last fifty years. The neglect of Tam-
erlano is strange. It has not only just as much fine music as the other two
operas but also one of the first important tenor roles in operatic history.
It ends in a somewhat tragic fashion, and its last grand scena with its
succession of secco and accompanied recitative, arioso, and aria is prob-
ably one of the most powerfully dramatic scenes in all Baroque opera.
Tamerlano was adapted by Nicolo Haym, one of Handel's chief col-
laborators in the Royal Academy years (1720-1728), from two earlier
Italian librettos on the same subject. The first was a Venetian Tamer-
lano of 1710,2 the author of which was Count Agostino Piovene; the
second, a subsequent revision of this libretto given at Reggio in 1719. Th
Reggio version was called II Bajazet after the name of the fallen Turkish
emperor, who, taking his own life in the end out of desperation at his
I The London Stage, Part 2, 1700-1729, ed. Emmett L. Avery (Carbondale, Ill.
1960), passim: November 3, 7, 10, 14, 17, 21, 24, 28 in 1724; May 1, 4, 8 in 1725.
On November 4, 1724, Nicolas Rowe's Tamerlane and a burlesque of it appeared si-
multaneously at the Drury Lane and Lincoln's Inn Fields theaters, so London must
have been surfeited with Eastern history and drama that week.
2 Tamerlano / Tragedia / Per Musica / Da rappresentarsi / Nel Teatro Tron /
di San Cassiano / L'Anno 1710. / In Venezia. / Per Marino Rossetti, in Merceria,
all'Insegna della Pace. / To the Reader; cast; scenes; text.65 pp. (Library of Con-
gress copy.)

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Handel's Tamerlano: The Creation of an Opera 407
defeat and imprisonment by Tamerlano, is the real hero of the plot. This
1719 libretto keeps Piovene's original sequence of the story but rather
thoroughly alters the language of the text. The authors of the revision
merely sign themselves "Gli Interessati nel Dramma," maintaining an
anonymity that is hardly justified in that their work is generally an im-
provement on the original.3
Piovene, of whom little is known other than that he was a Venetian
aristocrat who furnished books for various Venetian composers (Gas-
parini, Lotti, Orlandini, Carlo Pollarolo), said in his "To the Reader"
that he took his ideas from two sources: Ducas's Byzantine History and a
17th-century French play by Jacques (Nicolas) Pradon. Although Pio-
vene acknowledges that some of the tales about Tamerlane's legendary
cruelty (for instance, that he put the conquered Bajazet in a small cage
on public view, or that he made Bajazet's wife wait on him naked at his
table) may or may not be true, he is more concerned with writing a
tragedy than in reproducing history, and the main motive for his action
is to be the death of Bajazet. From Ducas, there is the information that
Bajazet died by his own hand, that Tamerlane was a confederate of the
Greeks, and that he was appeased by the death of Bajazet. From Pradon
comes the story of the Grecian prince, Andronico, and his love for Asteria,
the daughter of Bajazet, and the coming of Irene, Princess of Trebisond,
who is the promised bride of Tamerlane. The scene is Prusa, capital of
Bitinia (or Bursa), the first city occupied by Tamerlane after his defeat
of the Turks.
Pradon, a somewhat shadowy French playwright (ca. 1632-ca. 1698),

had the misfortune to write a Phidre et Hippolyte (1677) at the same
time as Racine's famous tragedy (the two were given in Paris within two
days of one another), and be roundly damned for his efforts by Boileau
and others, who compared the two most unfavorably for Pradon.4 Mis-
fortune of this kind tagged most of Pradon's creative efforts, but he evi-
dently achieved a certain popularity in his own lifetime as a playwright.
3 Il Bajazet / Dramma per Musica / Da rappresentarsi nel Teatro dell'Illustris-
simo Pubblico di Reggio in occasione della Fiera L'Anno MDCCXIX. / Dedicato
all'Altezza Serenissimo / di / Rinaldoi / Duca di Reggio, Modona, Mirandola etc. /
In Reggio, per I'Ippolito Vedrotti. 1719 / Con Licenza de' Superiori. Dedication
(dated April 29, 1719); argument; protest; cast; scenes; text. 77 pp. (Library of
Congress copy.) William C. Smith in his "Catalogue of Works," Handel, A Sym-
posium, ed. Gerald Abraham (London, 1954), p. 293, notes the relation of Handel's
Tamerlano to these two librettos, as did Oscar Sonneck before him in Catalogue of
Opera Librettos Printed before 1800 (Washington, 1914), p. 1049.
4 Jean Racine wrote a Bajazet (1672), but it has no relation to Pradon's play or
Piovene's libretto.

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408
AMA.
Daa RappsefntAr
Ti
elitEGlO TEATRO
di HAT-MARKET,
PER
RealeAccademia diMuf
LONDO N:
danted and Sold at the J(in' Th
the fay4Mr ~t. mvcc.xxy
The title page of the 1724 London

of Handel's Tamerlano.

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His Tamerlan ou la Mort de Bajazet was first given in Paris in 1675 and
printed in 1676. In it he tried to soften the picture of Tamerlane as a
savage and cruel Tartar. His preface says: "I have made a respectable
man of Tamerlane against the opinion of certain people who feel that he
should be altogether brutal.... I have tried to show a moderation in his
natural ferocity, mixing with it a character of some nobility and gener-
osity, which is based on history since he refused a Greek Empire... ."
Since Pradon's play outlines many of the incidents to which Piovene
merely alludes without any explanation, it is well to give a summary of it.
After causing the death of the son and wife of his captive, Bajazet, Tamerlan fell
in love with Asterie, daughter of Bajazet, and a prisoner like her father. She, how-
ever, is the promised bride of Andronic, son of the Greek emperor of Constanti-
nople. After his father's death, Andronic was forced to flee to Tamerlan and ask
aid to recover his throne from the grasp of his brother, who was then receiving aid
from the now conquered Bajazet. Any alliance with Tamerlan is loathsome to Baja-
zet. Tamerlan, hoping to influence the princess in his favor, softens his harsh treat-
ment of the royal prisoner. But Ast&rie and Andronic love each other. To retain this
love Andronic tries to save Bajazet. Meanwhile the Princess of Trebizond, whom
Tamerlan for political reasons had thought to marry, approaches his camp. He de-
cides to marry Andronic to her and reserve Ast&rie for himself. The knowledge of
this arrangement makes Ast&rie fear that Andronic will be unfaithful to her and
that her father's cause will lose his support. Tamerlan makes known to her his love.
This causes the young lovers grave fears that he may find out their love and wreak
his vengeance on Bajazet. They debate whether each shall follow the path of duty
or love - Andronic wishing to make known his love, refuse the high state destined
for him, and marry Ast&rie; she wishing to marry Tamerlan to save both her father
and her lover. Tamerlan discovers their love by Andronic's indifference to the favor
intended for him. Andronic openly declares his love, braving Tamerlan's anger; and
Asterie, to save him, promises to marry the hated conqueror. In the meanwhile
Bajazet plots to escape and bribes his fellow prisoners to dig for him an under-
ground passage, but the attempt is discovered. Tamerlan, enraged, declares that
either Asterie must marry him or he will put Bajazet and Andronic to death. Baja-
zet, in whose hands Asterie has put the decision of her fate, taunts his conqueror by
his persistent refusal to acquiesce in the marriage and only escapes the vengeance of
Tamerlan by taking poison. Moved by the greatness of the fallen monarch, Tamer-
lan renounces Asterie, bestows her upon Andronic, and decides to marry the Prin-
cess of Trebizond.5
Pradon's play derived from a number of sources.' Like Corneille and

Racine, he placed his characters in situations that would bring out their
5 Thomas W. Bussom, The Life and Dramatic Works of Pradon (Paris, 1922),
pp. 110-111.
6 According to Bussom, op. cit., p. 112, these were Laonicus Chalcondyle, History
of Byzantium (10 vols.); Jean du Bec, trans., Histoire du Grand Tamerlan tire des
monuments antiques des Arabes; Magnon, Le grand Tamerlan et Bajazet (1647).

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generosity and devotion to duty. Piovene, however, was mo

with the play as opera libretto. Although he took over Prad
most entirely, he greatly reduced its length, cut out a gre
explanation and the background motives in the course of the
and concentrated on the more dramatic episodes, adding a fe
Tamerlano, Bajazet, Asteria, Andronico, and Irene (the
Trebisond) become the Italian principals in the libretto. Th
by Leone, the confidant of Andronico; Tamur, the head of
eunuchs; and Zaida, Asteria's close friend. The opera opens w
and Asteria already prisoners of Tamerlano, and Andronico
convince Bajazet that Tamerlano will be generous. Bajazet, a
stubborn man, will have no pity from anyone and breathes d
captor. Tamerlano enlists Andronico to press his suit for As
tain Bajazet's consent for this, saying that it was Andronic
introduced Asteria to him, when she was brought before h
soner; nothing is said about why Andronico is indebted
except that he is his Greek confederate. Andronico is natur
cause of his love for Asteria. His situation is further com
Tamerlano's wish that he marry Irene (dynastic marriages
always battling each other in the 17th-century theater
makes a direct approach to Asteria, declaring that if she wil
he will release her father, and telling her, moreover, that A
probably assent because he, Tamerlano, will restore him
throne and give him the Princess of Trebisond in the barg
title and throne). Asteria is appalled but hides her feelings.
meets Andronico and Bajazet, however, the proposition com
jazet scornfully rejects it, and Asteria accuses Andronico of
defends himself by saying that the idea is Tamerlano's, not
that he pretended to go along with it to save Bajazet. Asteri
vinced and tells him to go back to Tamerlano and give Baja
but to say nothing about herself. The next scene shows An
coming Irene to Tamerlano's court. She naturally wants to
her promised bridegroom is. Andronico replies that he is not
lano's emissary but his replacement as the intended spouse.
angrily, but Andronico indicates he has been forced into th
against his will and induces Irene to present herself to Tame
Irene but her loyal companion. Hopefully they will bring T
reason again by a way to be divulged later. (This scene is n
vincing dramatically; it is mostly typical operatic intrigue.)
Act I.

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In Act II, Tamerlano tells Andronico that Asteria is coming to him

to be his bride. Andronico intercepts Asteria alone on the way and up-
braids her now for treachery. She answers that his actions forced her into
this step. He threatens to tell Tamerlano about their love. Asteria says
his protests are too late. The next scene finds Tamerlano on his throne
and Asteria in a position of honor. Irene enters and complains bitterly
about the treatment of her mistress. She calls Asteria a usurper. Tamer-
lano disregards these charges and says Irene will get royal favor by her
marriage to Andronico. When Tamerlano conveniently leaves the stage,
Asteria confides to Irene that she is playing a game and will find the
means to make herself distasteful to Tamerlano. Andronico then informs
Bajazet that his daughter has accepted Tamerlano's offer. Bajazet, after
accusing Andronico of cowardice for not stopping her, storms into the
presence of Tamerlano just as Asteria is about to be seated beside Tamer-
lano on the throne. There are harsh words on all sides, with Bajazet tell-
ing Asteria she is no longer his daughter. Tamerlano, infuriated, tells his
guards to make Bajazet bow before him. As they start toward him, he
throws himself on the floor at the foot of the throne and says that Tamer-
lano and Asteria will have to step on his neck to get to it. Tamerlano
puts his foot on Bajazet and tries to draw Asteria onward. She will come
to the throne but not that way. Tamerlano makes Bajazet rise. Bajazet
turns his back in a gesture of defiance. Irene enters and asks for support
in her mistress's cause. Bajazet gives it to her by declaring in a moving
speech he will die rather than have his daughter remain on the throne.
Unnerved by his words, Asteria descends from her seat despite Tamer-
lano's wrath. As he stands to try to halt her, she draws out a dagger,
which she hurls down, declaring that his first embrace would have been
met with this deadly thrust. Tamerlano, furious, vows to punish both
father and daughter. Left alone, Bajazet, Andronico, and Irene hail As-
teria as a courageous, faithful woman.
In Act III, Bajazet tells Asteria their situation is hopeless. The only
way out is for him to share with her some of the lethal poison he has kept
hidden as a last resort. At the proper moment they will both take it.
Tamerlano tells Andronico that, in spite of Asteria's conduct, he still loves
her. Andronico openly declares he is Asteria's lover. Overhearing him,
she determines to take all the blame; she throws herself at Tamerlano's
feet and asks that she alone be punished. Bajazet finds her there, and his
words arouse Tamerlano to such a fury that the Tartar says he will first
humiliate and then kill all three of them. Bajazet is made to watch his
daughter wait on Tamerlano as a slave by bowing before him on her

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412 'The Musical Quarterly
knees and presenting him a cup to drink. Asteria drops her

cup but this is seen by Irene, who discloses it to Tamerlano
herself as the true Irene. Tamerlano orders Asteria to give
Bajazet and Andronico, but as she goes toward them, she ra
own lips, only to have it dashed out of her hands by Andron
lano decides the worst punishment he can inflict on her is
raped by a slave in'the seraglio with Bajazet as a witness. Tam
comes Irene as his true bride. Leone enters to report that a
being taken away he saw Duke Orcano a prisoner of Androni
Bajazet then utters a loud cry, manages to swallow poison,
implication is that Duke Orcano was to rescue Bajazet (se
plot) and when he fails, Bajazet commits suicide. Asteria
Bajazet's death, however, has moved Tamerlano so much
dons Andronico, agrees to let him have Asteria, and depart
This libretto is typical of its kind. It is no worse and no b
many others of the same period. It has the virtue of being writt
straightforward Italian with a minimum of the poetic concei
fashionable at the time. It concentrates on the two main issues of the
story: Bajazet's defeat and imprisonment by Tamerlano, and Asteria's in-
volvement with Andronico and Tamerlano. There are no confusing
counterplots, and aside from one or two unnecessary scenes, the action
moves logically and steadily to its climax. On the other hand, the love
between Andronico and Asteria is not very convincing, and the ending is
weak. To have Bajazet die offstage after his continued and stubborn de-
fiance of Tamerlano onstage is an anticlimax. The audience - and Tam-
erlano - need to have Bajazet's strength and pride made evident before
them. Tamerlano's generosity and pity should be brought about by a
noble and tragic action, Hellenic in its scope and power, and not a furtive
suicide in the background. The frailty of this ending was recognized, and
attempts were made to remedy it.
The notion that Haym was the author 7 of the 1724 Tamerlano li-
bretto for Handel is quickly dispelled when a comparison between it and
Piovene's 1710 Tamerlano is made. Haym not only appropriated Pio-
vene's "Advice to the Reader" word for word, but also took over practi-
cally all of his text, including the arias. To give Haym credit, he does not
claim authorship. In his dedication to the Duke of Rutland, he merely
says he has accommodated the Tamerlane libretto for the London the-
7 Handel biographers have carelessly labeled Haym and Paolo Rolli "authors" of
opera librettos when the proper designation for the most part should be adaptors,
arrangers, or editors.

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ater.8 What he did was to cut out a few scenes and a few lines of recita-
tive here and there, eliminate the minor characters, and change several
arias, substituting his own verse. He omitted the character of Tamur and
indicated that Zaida was a nonspeaking part. This causes no trouble, be-
cause both characters had minor roles in Piovene, saying very little and
acting as foils for the principals.
Familiar is the way opera seria is organized in a series of scenes consist-
ing of recitative (action) and aria (reflection), after which a character gen-
erally leaves the stage. There is no chorus, only the ensemble, called "coro,"
for the principals at the end of the work. Duets and trios are rare, but
there are two duets and a trio in Tamerlano. Occasionally a scene will
occur without an aria. "Scene" should not, of course, be construed in the
modern sense of a change in scenery. It merely means that somebody
comes onstage or goes off. The mutazioni (changes in locale) within an
act were given at the beginning of the libretto. The mutazioni as they re-
late to Piovene's scenes are as follows:
Act I
Scenes 1-4: Guard room in Tamerlano's palace

Scenes 5-9: Palace rooms reserved for Bajazet and Asteria
Scenes 10-12: Garden of the palace
Act II
Scenes 1-4: Palace gallery opening to Tamerlano's rooms

Scenes 5-9: Tamerlano's rooms
Scenes 10-14: Tamerlano's throne room
Act III
Scenes 1-7: Courtyard of the palace seraglio

Scenes 8-15: Imperial salon; also dining area
The following table conveniently shows scene by scene what alter
8 Title page and description of the libretto: Tamerlano: / Drama. / Da r
presentarsi nel Regio Teatro / di Haymarket, / per / La Reale Accademia di Mu-
sica. / London: / Printed and Sold in the King's Theatre in / the Hay-market. /
M.DCC.XXIV.
Cast: Tamerlano, Andrea Pacini (alto castrato); Bajazet, Francesco Borosini
(tenor); Asteria, Francesca Cuzzoni (soprano); Andronico, Senesino (alto castrato);
Irene, Anna Dotti (mezzo soprano); Leone, Giuseppe Boschi (bass-baritone).

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tions took place when Haym's adaptation was made. W

"same)" occurs, it denotes fundamentally the same recit
each libretto with minor cuts and changes in wording. Th
ences between the two librettos are at the beginning and
sons to be learned subsequently.
Act I
Scene Piovene, 1710 Scene Haym, 1724

1 Bajazet, Andronico, Leone 1 Bajazet, Andronico
Bajazet scorns Tamerlano's pity and Some lines the same but mostly dif-
thinks only of his daughter. ferent. Bajazet tries to stab himself.
Aria: "Custodite per mia figlia" (Ba-Aria: "Forte e lieto" (Bajazet)
jazet)
2 Andronico, Leone - Not in Haym. Condensed in first
Andronico tells Leone to keep an eye line of scene 2.
on Bajazet for the sake of Asteria, his
beloved.
3 Tamerlano, Andronico 2 Tamerlano, Andronico
Tamerlano enlists Andronico's aid in Same: but less explanation and aria
getting Asteria for himself. is different.
Aria: "Svener6 con l'odia antico" Aria: "Vu6 dar pace" (Tamerlano)
(Tamerlano)
4 Andronico 3 Andronico
Bewails his dilemma. Exactly the same.
Aria: "Bella Asteria" (Andronico)
5 Asteria, Zaida 4 Asteria, then Tamerlano
Explanation of Bajazet's defeat and Combination of Piovene I, 5 and 6.
how Asteria fell in love with Andro- Explanation shortened and too ab-
nico. rupt.
Aria: "Se non mi vuol amar" (As- The only aria: "Dammi pace"
teria)
6 Tamerlano, Asteria, Zaida
Tamerlano proposes.
Aria: "Dammi pace" (Tamerlano)
7 Asteria, Zaida 5 Asteria
Asteria reacts. Zaida tells about the Some three or four lines from Pio-
rich, beautiful Irene coming to Tam-vene I, 7.
erlano. Aria (Piovene I, 5 altered): "S'ei
non mi vuol amar" (Asteria)
8 Bajazet, Andronico, Leone, Asteria, 6 Bajazet, Andronico, Asteria
Zaida Andronico's and Asteria's lines greatly
Bajazet haughtily refuses Tamer- cut. Characterization less vivid. Other-
lano's marriage proposal to Asteria.wise the same.
Asteria upbraids Andronico for
treachery.

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Aria: "Ciela e terra armi di sdegno

(Bajazet)
9 Asteria, Andronico, Leone, Zaida 7 Asteria, Andronico
Confrontation between Asteria and Same.
Andronico. Recrimination.
Aria: "Deh! lasciatemi il nemico"
(Asteria)
10 Andronico, Leone - Not in Haym.
Leone tells Andronico he is forfeiting
a throne by not marrying Irene.
11 Irene, Tamur, Andronico, Leone 8 Irene, Andronico, Leone
Meeting with Irene. Full explanation Same. Less explanation and less con-
of how Tamerlano has fallen in love vincing. Leone takes Tamur's lines.
with Asteria. Proposition for simu- Aria: "Dal crudel che m'a tradita"
lated identity. (Irene)
Aria: "Vengo di quel crudele"
(Irene)
12 Asteria, Zaida Not in Haym.
Asteria tells Zaida to inform Tamer-
lano she is coming to him. Zaida
warns her about her action, and not
to judge Andronico harshly before
learning his motives.
Aria: "Padre amato, vb perdono"
(Asteria)
9 Andronico
Extra scene (not in Piovene). An-
dronico sums up his dilemma. Su-
perfluous. Chance for an aria.
Aria: "Bench? mi sprezzi"
Act II
1 Tamerlano, Andronico, Leone 1 Tamerlano, Andronico

Tamerlano informs Andronico that
A few recitative cuts, but essentially
Asteria is coming to him. Her fath- the same.
er's refusal makes no difference to
him.
Aria: "Bella gara, che faranno"

(Tamerlano)
2 Andronico, Leone Not in Haym.
Leone tries once more to influence
Andronico to marry Irene.
3 Asteria, Andronico, Zaida 2 Asteria, Andronico
Andronico accuses Asteria of unfaith- Exactly the same.
fulness to him and ambition to share
Tamerlano's throne.

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Aria: "Non ? piu tempo, no" (As-

teria)
4 Andronico 3 Andronico
More lines than Piovene, but essen-
Andronico, despairing, feels he has
lost Asteria. tially the same recitative.
Aria: "Non vi spero placate" (An-
Aria: "Cerco in vano placare" (An-
dronico) dronico)
5 Tamerlano, Asteria, Zaida, Tamur, 4 Tamerlano, Asteria, Leone, then
then Irene. Irene.
Irene enters to face Tamerlano, pre- Leone takes Tamur's lines. Asteria
tending she is a friend of Irene. She does not speak; her presence thus
upbraids Asteria. Asteria turns away. weaker.
Arioso: "Colpa non V" (Asteria) No arioso.
6 Asteria, Irene, Tamur, Zaida 5 Asteria, Irene, Leone
Asteria tells Irene she does not wish Same recitative but no aria.
to be Tamerlano's queen. She will
help Irene regain his affection.
Aria: "Vado al soglio dell'indegno"
(Asteria)
7 Irene, Tamur 6 Irene, Leone
Irene agrees to play along but tells Leone takes Tamur's lines. Other-
Tamur to watch Asteria closely. wise same. Extra recitative and aria
Aria: "Par che mi nasca in seno" for Leone (not in Piovene).
(Irene) Aria: "Amor di guerra e pace"
8 Bajazet, Andronico 7 Bajazet, Andronico
Andronico tells Bajazet Asteria has Exactly the same.
given in to Tamerlano and is about
to be his queen.
Aria: "A suoi piedi padre esangue"
(Bajazet)
8 Andronico
Extra scene (not in Piovene). An-
dronico will kill himself if Asteria
deserts him.
Aria: "Pidi d'una tigre altero" (An-
dronico)
9 Tamerlano, Asteria, then Bajazet, 9 Tamerlano, Asteria, then Bajazet,
Andronico Andronico
Same.
Bajazet, falling to the ground, makes
Tamerlano put his foot on Bajazet's
neck to get to the throne. Asteria
cannot follow.
No aria.
10 Irene and the others 10 Irene and the others
Irene (as a friend) appeals for help. Same.
Bajazet makes powerful speech. As-

teria plants dagger at Tamerlano's

132.174.250.253 on Mon, 22 Jan 2024 22:36:26 +00:00
feet. Bajazet and Andronico praise

her courage.
Trio: "Voglio strage" (Bajazet, Tam-
erlano, Asteria)
11 Asteria, Bajazet (10 continued)
Asteria asks Bajazet if she is any Haym does not make separate scenes
longer an unworthy daughter. He of Asteria's turning to Bajazet, An-
praises her. dronico, and Irene. But recitative
Cavatina: "No, il tuo sdegno mi and succession of cavatinas are the
placo" (Bajazet) same.
12 Asteria, Andronico When Asteria is finally alone, her

Much the same question; this time, is citative is much the same as Piovene
she an unfaithful lover? Andronico II, 14, but her final aria is different.
hails her courage. Aria: "Se potessi un di placare" (As-
Cavatina: "No, che del tuo gran cor" teria)
(Andronico)
13 Asteria, Irene
Is she now a proud, haughty woman?
Irene hails her.
Cavatina: "No, che a un alma gene-
rosa" (Irene)
14 Asteria, Zaida
Asteria does not care about her own
life as she has avenged her father
and lover.
Aria: "Cor di padre, cor d'amante"
(Asteria)
Act III
1 Bajazet, Asteria Bajazet, Asteria

Bajazet has no more hope and Same with a few cuts, but final aria
shares his poison with his daughter. is the one that appeared in Piovene
Aria: "Su la sponda del pigro Lete" II, 14.
(Bajazet) Aria: "Cor di padre, cor d'amante"
(Asteria)
2 Asteria, Zaida Not in Haym.
Zaida urges Asteria to ask Andronico
for help.
No aria.
3 Tamerlano, Andronica, Asteria, Le- 2 Tamerlano, Andronico, Asteria aside
one
Essentially the same. (Neither li-
Andronico reveals himself as Aste- bretto has an aria.)
ria's lover and Tamerlano's rival. As-
teria, casting herself at Tamerlano's
feet, says she must take the blame.

132.174.250.253 on Mon, 22 Jan 2024 22:36:26 +00:00
4 Bajazet and the others 3 Bajazet and the others

Bajazet finds Asteria before The Tamer-
same, but aria is different.
lano and says she has disgraced Aria:him.
"A dispetto d'un volto" (Tam-
Tamerlano threatens to kill all three erlano)
of them.
Aria: "Nella figlia, e nell'amata"
(Tamerlano)
5 Bajazet, Asteria, Adronico, Leone, 4 Bajazet, Asteria, Andronico
Zaida Same.
Bajazet tells Asteria and Andronico
his way out of the impasse is the
only possible one.
No aria.
6 Asteria, Andronico, Leone, Zaida 5 Asteria, Andronico, Leone
Zaida tries to get the lovers to flee. Leone takes Zaida's lines. Haym
They refuse. Asteria will stay with makes this a love scene and adds re-
her father. citative.
Arioso: "Se sentile al morir mio" Closing duet: "Vivo in te" (Asteria,
(Asteria) Andronico)
7 Andronico, Leone - Not in Haym.
Leone tells Andronico he will lose
his life as well as his love if he per-
sists, but Andronico is firm.
Aria: "E troppo bella la bella mia"
(Andronico)
8 Irene, Tamur 6 Irene, Leone
Tamur reminds Irene the throne is Leone takes Tamur's lines. Other-
empty, but she must charm Tamer- wise the same, with some cuts.
lano, not anger him.
Aria: "Crudel poi non son io"
(Irene)
9 Tamerlano, Bajazet, Andronico (Irene 7 Tamerlano, Bajazet, Andronico (Irene
and Tamur aside) aside)
Tamerlano invites Bajazet to his Same, but in added lines Andronico
table to see Asteria humbled. says Asteria must be his. (Oppor-
No aria. tunity for aria.)
Aria: "Se non mi rendi" (Andro-
nico)
10 Asteria, Zaida, and others 8 Asteria and others
Asteria comes to wait on Tamer- Same.
lano. She takes cup and secretly

throws poison in it.
No aria.
11 Irene and others (8 continued)
Irene stops Tamerlano from drinking Same, as part of scene 8. Some cuts.
and reveals herself. Asteria takes the
cup toward Bajazet and Andronico.

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Arioso: "Folle sei, se lo consenti"

(Asteria)
She tries to drink it herself but it is
dashed away by Andronico. Bajazet
says his ghost will haunt Tamerlano.
Aria: "Empio per farti guerra" (Ba-
jazet)
12 Tamerlano, Irene Part of scene 8, but condensed.
Tamerlano promises to take Irene as
his bride.
No aria.
9 Tamerlano, Andronico, Asteria,
Irene, Leone
Extra scene (not in Piovene). Leone
tells assembled group Bajazet de-
mands everybody gather to listen to
him.
10 Bajazet and the others
Powerful, dramatic scene (not in
Piovene). Bajazet says he controls his
own fate. He bids farewell to Asteria.
Aria: "Figlia mia, non piangere"
(Bajazet)
He then takes poison, and defiant to
the end, slowly expires as he is es-
corted off the stage, supported by As-
teria.
13 Leone, Tamerlano, Irene, Andronico
Leone tells of Bajazet's death. Tam-
erlano pardons Andronico.
No aria.
14 Asteria and the others
Asteria in a passionate scene will not
live without her father.
Aria: "Svena, uccidi, abbatti" (As-
teria)
15 Tamerlano, Andronico, Irene 11 Tamerlano, Andronico, Irene
Tamerlano forgives Asteria, urges her Andronico wants to kill himself, but
to forget the past and tells Andro- Tamerlano holds his hand and par-
nico she is his. dons both him and Asteria.
Coro: "Coronata di gigli, e di rose" Coro: "D'atra notte gia mirasi a

scorno"
A glance at the table shows that the succession of scenes in the two
librettos is practically identical. Scenes omitted in Haym generally in-
volved the minor characters who had been removed. The extra scenes for

132.174.250.253 on Mon, 22 Jan 2024 22:36:26 +00:00
Andronico in Acts I and II were undoubtedly added for th

sino, the leading castrato, who sang this part. The prim
have a certain number of arias in an opera or there would
ego did not allow him to take second place. The one ar
Act II was also necessary for Boschi, who, although playin
ure in the opera, was an important member of the Royal
pany and expected one, if not two, arias in each opera. J
first performance, Handel was to insert another one fo
which was evidently put in the score at the last minute.
in the 1724 libretto.
Although an explanation seems to exist for most of H
there still remain the alterations to Act I, scene 1, and
last scenes of Act III, in their dramatic dialogue one of th
the opera. Did Haym, dissatisfied with Piovene's text, writ
It is possible. Haym (ca. 1680-1729) was a cultured man a
of a jack of all trades. Born in Italy of German parents,
England early in the 18th century (ca. 1702) as a cellist
hold of the Duke of Bedford (Haym refers to this in his
cation). Gradually he asserted himself in public theat
playing in the orchestra, coaching the singers, or adaptin
for the English stage. Later he wrote two full-length tr
theater, issued an edition of Gerusalemme Liberata, and a
tation as a numismatist.? He had no pretensions as a poet,
work for Handel demonstrated a person with dramatic
had a feeling for what might be effective in the theater,
London one.
But the key, after all, is not with Haym. It is with the 1719 Bajazet
libretto, which, although a revision of the 1710 Tamerlano, nevertheless
contains practically all of the recitative and the new aria of Act I, scene 1,
and the strengthened, revised final scenes of the opera that are found in
the 1724 London libretto. Bajazet helps likewise to explain the miscella-
neous bits of music which Chrysander found among Handel's autographs
for Tamerlano and printed without any explanation in his edition of the
opera.1o It also clarifies, with the help of Piovene's libretto, some inter-
mediate steps in Handel's score which have been difficult to trace. Haym's
work then turns out to be an amalgam combining much of Piovene's
1710 Tamerlano, some of the revised 1719 Il Bajazet, a little of his own
9 Gerber, Neues Lexikon (1812); Grove's Dictionary, 5th ed.; Hawkins, A Gen-
eral History of the Science and Practice of Music.
10 Hiindelgesellschaft edition, Vol. LXIX (Leipzig, 1876).

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invention, and probably some tinkering by Handel.

Although the 1719 libretto included practically a whole new set of
arias and rewritten recitative, the authors in their Protesta were careful
to pay tribute to Piovene and to claim they had followed his scheme and
his plot. Their tightened dialogue is generally an improvement, but some
of their arias dealing with shopworn similes and trite poetic images might
have been omitted. Yet Piovene's text was occasionally retained where it
is effective, namely, in the last five scenes of Act II (both recitative and
arias). Tamur, head of Tamerlano's eunuchs, was replaced by Clearco, a
confederate of Tamerlano, who was given a stronger part. The cast in
1719 had two singers - Antonio Bernacchi (Tamerlano) and Diana
Vico (Andronico) - who had sung with Handel in the 1714-1717 pe-
riod; Faustina Bordini (Irene), who was shortly to become one of his
two famous prima donnas in London; and Francesco Borosini, the tenor,
who sang the same part of Bajazet in Reggio as he did in London in
1724. The libretto stated that the music by Francesco Gasparini (1668-
1727) was new. Since Gasparini set the original Tamerlano in 1710, the
supposition has been that this was only true in part. Yet because the aria
texts were almost all new, Gasparini probably did write new music. There
is no way of deciding this matter, since the first Gasparini score does not
seem to have survived." Fortunately, the second one has, and will shortly
be referred to again.1"
A fairly direct sequence of steps involving Haym and Handel can now
be determined. According to Handel's own note at the end of his auto-
graph score, he began the opera on July 3, 1724, and finished it in a day
less than three weeks, on July 23. At first, Haym must have given Handel
Piovene's 1710 text of Act I, scene 1, because after the overture in Han-
del's autograph the music to these words appears. It is sometimes very
difficult to establish the proper order of folios in Handel's scores, because
it was the composer's habit to number only every fourth one, (i.e., a
quire, every eighth side) and even in this practice he was irregular, either
forgetting or not counting. If there were changes, new folios were in-
serted, altering the order. When the manuscripts were bound in the 19th
century, the folios were renumbered as pages in pencil by a later hand,
making for more complication. However, in this instance, folios 6-15 of
the autograph are devoted to various musical versions of the first scene of
11 Robert Eitner, Quellenlexicon; Martin Ruhnke, "Gasparini," Die Musik im Ge-
schichte und Gegenwart, Vol. IV, cols. 1414-18.
12 Il Bajazet, Reggio, 1719. MS score in Hofbibliothek, Vienna. Copied for Li-
brary of Congress, 1909.

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Act I. The music to Piovene's words occurs on folio 10, b

it being the first to be written is Handel's number one in
hand corner of the folio and the label "Atto Primo, Scen
center. This recitative occupies one complete folio (10-10
before the word "morte," in one of Bajazet's speeches. It
Then follows as an insertion, folios 11-12, which is the
scene 1, of the 1719 libretto. This appears on pages 5, 6
sander's edition (hereafter HG), the only difference bein
nico's first line - "Esci, esci oh Signore! abbia libero il
regia" (HG, p. 5) - is not in the 1719 libretto and m
added by Handel or Haym. Proof for this comes at the be
11 where the words were obviously put in by Handel afte
written (Handel's custom was to write in the recitative te
the music later). The aria "Forte e lieto" (HG, p. 7) is not
is referred to by Handel as being an insertion here after
folio 12. The music for it is in R.M.20.d.2, a collection
Museum of autograph fragments of the opera that may h
ten after July, 1724, or separated in some way from th
manuscript. In the version on folios 11-12 the introducto
measures of the scene are missing (see HG, p. 5), the
5-6 in HG) being merely run together. Folio 12' is blank
15 carry on Piovene's first version where it was cut off
portion can be found in HG (Appendix, pp. 147-148, star
brace with the word morte). The rest of the recitative o
the following aria, "Custodite per mia figlia," follow the
actly, except that Handel changed the first word of the
dite to Conservate. The folios preceding folio 10 (i.e., fo
two further versions of this scene. The first (folios 6-6') is t
of the beginning of the scene with the instrumental in
p. 5). The second is another version of the opening (foli
may antedate both the 1710 and 1719 versions; the text c
in any libretto. It can be seen in HG (Appendix, pp. 145-
sists of a one-part aria and some recitative. There is a fur
scene, which Chrysander prints on page 149, that may
termediate step, since it has the music of the previous fra
with the first line of recitative ("Esci, esci," etc.), m
Haym's acquisition of the 1719 libretto after Handel star
or his change of mind about which libretto was superior
scene, would seem to account for the numerous versions
score.

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The rest of Handel's autograph up to Act III is fairly straightforward

with the changes and alterations in it accountable more for musical than
textual reasons. However, the aria "Cor di padre" which in the 1710
libretto came at the end of Act II and not at the beginning of Act III
(see HG, p. 90) was likewise first put there in Handel's original foliation.
Then it was shifted to Act III, scene 1. Handel did not bother to change
the previous recitative ending, so there is a wrench going from F major
to G minor, the key of "Cor di padre." The aria "Se potessi" was sub-
stituted for it at the end of Act II. An explanation might be the follow-
ing: Haym and Handel originally had Bajazet's recitative and his aria
text, "Su la sponda del pigro Lete" in Act III, scene 1. The text is from
Piovene, and the music is in HG (Appendix, pp. 150-154, with two ver-
sions of the aria). For some reason, it was not considered satisfactory, or
the authors wanted to assign something to Asteria rather than Bajazet
at this point. They then turned to "Cor di padre." But something had to
be placed at the end of Act II, so "Se potessi" was inserted. Another in-
stance of rearrangement is in Act II, scene 3. Haym originally gave
Handel an aria for Andronico, "Fiero mi rivedrete" (HG, Appendix, p.
155). The text to this aria is in neither the 1710 nor the 1719 libretto,
and it may be by Haym himself. At any rate, it was put aside in favor of
"A dispetto d'un volto ingrato" (HG, p. 97), the words to which are an
altered version of an aria in the 1719 libretto. Inclusion of the duet "Vivo
in te" (Act III, scene 5) seems to have been Haym's contribution, for it
does not occur in either of the two earlier librettos.
The rest of Act III in Haym up to scene 9 is, as indicated in the
table, very similar to Piovene. Then in Handel's autograph there are
three folios (110-112) which are a mixture of Piovene, Act III, scene 14,
and some free verse by Haym. This scene, part secco and part accompa-
gnato, is quite striking, particularly the accompagnato for Asteria. It has
never been published. The text of scenes 9 and 10, which follow in Han-
del's score (HG, pp. 125-132), is taken almost literally from the 1719
Reggio libretto, Act III, scenes 15 and 16. These were the lines that in-
spired Handel to write some of the most dramatic and exciting music in
the opera.13
In scene 10, Bajazet confronts his captor, his daughter, and the as-
13 When Tamerlano was produced in Hamburg in 1725 with the recitatives in

German, Praetorius, the translator, and perhaps Telemann, the composer of the reci-
tatives, thought so much of Bajazet's final lines to Tamerlano that they left this part
of the scene the way it was in Italian and merely supplied a free German translation
in the libretto.

132.174.250.253 on Mon, 22 Jan 2024 22:36:26 +00:00
sembled group. Tamerlano threatens him, and Bajaz

threats. Then, having taken the poison, he turns to h
striking change of mood and bids her farewell, telling h
must live under a tyrant, death would be better for her,
but he urges her to have strength. Then, whirling aroun
he consigns him to the furies of hell. His outburst grad
death approaches; his words become increasingly halting
dicated by dashes in the libretto). As he is led off the sta
his words trailing off into space.
Handel rises fully to the challenge of this extraordinar
Tamerlano threatens Bajazet at the start and Bajazet def
words are interspersed with orchestral arpeggios that punctu
scorn like whiplashes. In Bajazet's farewell to Asteria,
passionate arioso of reiterated eighth-notes, with a chrom
bass line and bold harmonic movement that is far in advance of its time
(Ex. la). Asteria violently protests, but Bajazet tenderly reiterates his
farewell in a melting siciliana (Ex. lb). The final denunciation of Tam-
erlano is a succession of surging accompanied recitative marked Furioso,
an aria-arioso marked Presto, and a final accompagnato marked Largo.
Handel's ability to convey the full range of Bajazet's wrath, scorn, pity,
tenderness, and fury shows him at the height of his powers as a musical
dramatist (Ex. 1c).
Francesco Gasparini, who set the 1719 libretto, was a Venetian musi-
cian of considerable attainment, but he is known more today for his theo-
retical work, L'armonico pratica al cimbalo (1708),"4 than for his music.
Nevertheless, he wrote between forty and fifty operas (only a few of
which survive), and was evidently one of the most popular opera com-
posers of his time. His II Bajazet (1719) shows a composer of marked
ability. Unlike Bononcini, who has often been compared to Handel, Gas-
parini does not strive for the popular effect, but is, if anything, somewhat
learned in his approach. He will often veer off into fairly remote har-
monic regions, particularly in the B sections of his arias. Rhythmically, he
lacks Handel's verve, bite, and irregularity. Once a pattern has been es-
tablished, it rarely changes in the course of the piece. He is fond of hav-
ing the bass and inner parts drop out, leaving just the first violins doub-
ling the vocal line. Some of his string figurations look nervous and jerky
on paper, but may have been effective in performance. In general, his
slow arias are superior to the more rapid ones. He gives Irene a fine
14 The Practical Harmonist at the Harpsichord, trans. Frank S. Stillings, ed.
David L. Burrows (New Haven, Conn., 1963).

132.174.250.253 on Mon, 22 Jan 2024 22:36:26 +00:00
Ex. la Tamerlano, Act III, Scene 10

Piano e lento
Ai Strings, I I
ABAJAZET *N"R
Si, figlia, io moro; Ad-di- o! Tu res- ti...
Bassi
Ahi-me, che dir non pos-so in pace Tu res - ti, fig - lia, ne-gl'af
-fan-ni, E ques- to so-lo-fa 6n-.no mi--4o.
Ex. lb Str
VIiC lam -a onpa- enW b

Ex. lb Stringsea cembo
Fig - niia mi - , no n il soan - ger, n, nmi

132.174.250.253 on Mon, 22 Jan 2024 22:36:26 +00:00
Ex. ic
Va - do le fur - ie a sca-te -nar Per tuo tor - men-to
Presto
vi -a, fu - rie e mi-ni - stre
(Presto) Largo
Pres - to, mi non ces - sa - tel Ahi-m ! se stan - che sie - te
0 N-:O
siciliana to sing
to believe that
plished singer.
meant for the
this work, have
and skilled in orchestration.
Only two sections of his opera can stand comparison with Handel's
setting. One is the first scene of Act I and the other, Bajazet's death

132.174.250.253 on Mon, 22 Jan 2024 22:36:26 +00:00
scene in Act III - the two parts of the 1719 libretto that Haym appro-
priated. With the first aria, "Forte e lieto," Bajazet, having just relin-
quished his sword, says he could die happily if the love of his daughter
did not make him stay his hand. Both Handel and Gasparini (Ex. 2)
single out as the principal affect the strength and positive quality of
Bajazet's character, well expressed in the initial word, Forte (Handel has
an octave jump, Gasparini an elaborate melisma), and in a C major lilt
that both composers adopt. Handel's aria is stronger musically, and has
Ex. 2a 11 Bajazet (1719), Act I, Scene 1

Ritornello
Forte e lieto Gasparini
etc.
For ----------- te etc.
Ex. 2b
Ritornello
Largo Handel
Viols. 1, 11
Viola
Forte e lie to mort

1Bassi. . I A " " , - ,
Po -e e le-t.am r-e_ -r - e c a i a e -te i

132.174.250.253 on Mon, 22 Jan 2024 22:36:26 +00:00
more variety, a firmer pulse, and tighter construction.

delicacy and grace, but these qualities seem out of place
His aria is also permeated with a constant, dotted rhythm
slightly monotonous.
In Bajazet's great scene of Act III both men turn t
recitative at approximately the same spot - after Tamer
ened Bajazet for the last time. Handel uses all his string
taves, Gasparini only a three-note sixteenth figure in t
figlia, io moro" Gasparini has an expressive descending
under a broken, anguished vocal line (Ex. 3a). He also
liana rhythm for "Figlia mia, non pianger," but instead
arioso he confines it to a concentrated five-measure sta
The last confrontation is broken up into various pattern
but there is less change of pace than in Handel. Bajaze
parini's score is more formalized, consisting of a sequence
have more musical than dramatic logic. They are effectiv
but have less fluidity and realistic emotion than the sit
warrant. Both composers knew that something out of t
called for, and each in his own way demonstrated an in
rhetoric which was brought forward persuasively in th
text.
The rest of the opera gave both Handel and Haym some trouble.
Anything that followed Bajazet's death scene was likely to be an anti-
climax. At first, Handel's autograph shows a section (folios 118'-122)
where Asteria reacts to her father's death in an impassioned recitative and
aria, "Padre amato." There is also a duet for Andronico and Tamerlano,
Ex. 3a I1 Bajazet, Act III, Scene 16

BAJAZET BAJAZET Gasparini
Si, fig -lia, io mo - ro. Ad - di - o. Tu res - ta. Ahi - me chedir non pos - so
in pa-ce tu res-ti. O fig-lia ne-gl'af-fan-ni e ques-to e'il so-loaf-fan-no mi-o.

r ? ,n" n 10-
1, r. .IT[ JJ J. J, IJI-

132.174.250.253 on Mon, 22 Jan 2024 22:36:26 +00:00
Ex. 3b Strings
i I " I'"6I I -I
Fig - lia mia
Bassi
lor - au- sci - re i plan - to, Fig - lia mi - a, non plan - - ger n.
Ex. 3c
Tem - po: Lo va - do fur-ie sca-te - nar. Per tuo tor.- men - to.
OpO7$ C
Se stan-che sie- te la rab-bia mia Pren- de - te 6
me - co la por-ta - te la gii

132.174.250.253 on Mon, 22 Jan 2024 22:36:26 +00:00
composed to the words of the final coro of the 1710 and 17

"Coronata di gigli." This music can be found on pages 132
as Version A. Although there is some splendid music here (n
teria's aria), the collaborators must have felt there was too m
of modifying what had been done, however, they went to th
treme; they wound up the whole opera in a few lines of rec
coro with words by Haym. To have Asteria abruptly leave the
no chance to react to her father's death; to see Andronico sud
to fall upon his own sword; to have Tamerlano suffer a quick
in eight measures of recitative, pardoning Andronico and gi
to him, is so rapid a denouement that the audience can hard
a chance to catch its breath. But the authors presumably co
to detract from Bajazet's powerful end, and they wanted ever
to happen speedily. A possible solution for performance is a
of the A and B versions.
Whatever the qualifications, the total effect of the opera is that of a

noble and moving tragedy - one of Handel's greatest achievements for
the stage. Following its trail from the beginning is a long and arduous
enterprise. But in spite of many by-paths, the librettist and the composer
by trial and error created a fine work of art.

132.174.250.253 on Mon, 22 Jan 2024 22:36:26 +00:00

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Handel's "Tamerlano:" The Creation of an Opera

Author(s): J. Merrill Knapp

Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/741246

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OPERA historians have sometimes been curiously negligent in trac-

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an exit at the end are all well-known to students of opera

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Pradon, a somewhat shadowy French playwright (ca. 1632-ca. 1698),

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The title page of the 1724 London

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Pradon's play derived from a number of sources.' Like Corneille and

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generosity and devotion to duty. Piovene, however, was mo

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In Act II, Tamerlano tells Andronico that Asteria is coming to him

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knees and presenting him a cup to drink. Asteria drops her

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Scenes 1-4: Guard room in Tamerlano's palace

Scenes 1-4: Palace gallery opening to Tamerlano's rooms

Scenes 1-7: Courtyard of the palace seraglio

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tions took place when Haym's adaptation was made. W

Scene Piovene, 1710 Scene Haym, 1724

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Aria: "Ciela e terra armi di sdegno

1 Tamerlano, Andronico, Leone 1 Tamerlano, Andronico

Aria: "Bella gara, che faranno"

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Aria: "Non ? piu tempo, no" (As-

Irene (as a friend) appeals for help. Same.

Bajazet makes powerful speech. As-

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feet. Bajazet and Andronico praise

12 Asteria, Andronico When Asteria is finally alone, her

1 Bajazet, Asteria Bajazet, Asteria

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4 Bajazet and the others 3 Bajazet and the others

lano. She takes cup and secretly

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Arioso: "Folle sei, se lo consenti"

Coro: "Coronata di gigli, e di rose" Coro: "D'atra notte gia mirasi a

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Andronico in Acts I and II were undoubtedly added for th

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invention, and probably some tinkering by Handel.

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Act I. The music to Piovene's words occurs on folio 10, b

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The rest of Handel's autograph up to Act III is fairly straightforward

13 When Tamerlano was produced in Hamburg in 1725 with the recitatives in

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sembled group. Tamerlano threatens him, and Bajaz

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Ex. la Tamerlano, Act III, Scene 10

-fan-ni, E ques- to so-lo-fa 6n-.no mi--4o.

VIiC lam -a onpa- enW b

Fig - niia mi - , no n il soan - ger, n, nmi

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Va - do le fur - ie a sca-te -nar Per tuo tor - men-to

vi -a, fu - rie e mi-ni - stre