Apollo e Dafne (Handel)
Encyclopedia
Apollo e Dafne is a secular
cantata
composed by George Frideric Handel
in 1709–10. Handel began the work in Venice
in 1709, but completed it in Hanover
after arriving in 1710 to take up his appointment as Kapellmeister
to the Elector, the later King George I of Great Britain
. The work is one of Handel's most ambitious cantatas, and is indicative of the brilliant operatic career to follow in the next 30 years of his life.
The work's original overture has not survived and therefore another of the composer's instrumental works is sometimes substituted as an introduction. The cantata's instrumentation is bright as Handel adds a flute, a pair of oboes and a bassoon to the usual strings.
The work takes just over 40 minutes to perform.
|valign="top"|Apollo
, having released Greece from tyranny by killing the menacing dragon Python
, is in an arrogant mood. He boasts that even Cupid
’s archery is no match for his own bow and arrow; however his conceit is shattered upon spying the lovely Daphne
. Apollo is instantly smitten and plies his full range of charms in an attempt to win Daphne’s favour. Naturally distrustful, she rejects his advances, stating that she would rather die than lose her honour. Apollo becomes more forceful in insisting that she yield to his love and physically takes hold of her. When all seems lost, Daphne manages to escape his clutches by transforming herself into a laurel tree. Displaying great sorrow, Apollo states that his tears will water her green leaves and that her triumphant branches will be used to crown the greatest heroes.
|rowspan=2|
|-
|
!Movement!!Type!!Voice!!Text (complete) – translated from the original Italian
|-
|1
|Overture
|
|
|-
|2
|Recitative
|Apollo
|The earth is set free! Greece is avenged! Apollo has conquered!
After such terrors and such slaughter that have devastated and depopulated the country
the Python lies dead, put to death by my hand.
Apollo has triumphed! Apollo has conquered!
|-
|3
|Aria
|Apollo
|The good of the universe relies on this saving bow.
With my praises let the earth resound and sacrifices be prepared to my protecting arm.
|-
|4
|Recitative
|Apollo
|Let Cupid in his pretty pride give way to the force of my arrows;
let him boast no more of the fatal point of his golden arrows.
One Python alone is worth more than a thousand ardent wounded lovers.
|-
|5
|Aria
|Apollo
|Break your bow and cast away your weapons, God of idleness and pleasure.
How can you ever hurt me, naked spirit and blind archer?
|-
|6
|Aria
|Daphne
|Most blest is this soul, that loves only freedom.
There is not peace, there is no calm if the heart is not unfettered.
|-
|7
|Recitative
|Apollo
|What a voice! What a beauty!
This sound, this sight pierces my heart. Nymph!
|-
|
|(continued)
|Daphne
|What do I see, alas?
And who is it that surprises me?
|-
|
|(continued)
|Apollo
|I am a God, whom your beauty has aroused
|-
|
|(continued)
|Daphne
|I know no other God in these woods but only Diana;
do not come near, profane God.
|-
|
|(continued)
|Apollo
|I am Cynthia's brother;
If you love my sister, fair one, pity the one who adores you.
|-
|8
|Aria
|Daphne
|You burn, adore, and beg in vain; only to Cynthia am I faithful.
To her brother's flames of love Cynthia would have me cruel.
|-
|9
|Recitative
|Apollo
|How cruel!
|-
|
|(continued)
|Daphne
|How importunate!
|-
|
|(continued)
|Apollo
|I seek an end to my troubles.
|-
|
|(continued)
|Daphne
|And I shall survive it.
|-
|
|(continued)
|Apollo
|I am consumed with love
|-
|
|(continued)
|Daphne
|I am burning with anger.
|-
|10
|Duet
|Apollo,
Daphne
|A war rages in my breast that I can bear no longer.
|-
|
|(continued)
|Apollo
|I burn, I freeze.
|-
|
|(continued)
|Daphne
|I fear, I suffer.
If this ardour is not checked I can never have peace.
|-
|11
|Recitative
|Apollo
|Be calm now, my dear one.
The beauty that inflames me will not flower for ever;
the fairest that Nature creates passes, and does not last.
|-
|12
|Aria
|Apollo
|As the rose with its thorn quickly comes and quickly goes,
so with sudden flight, passes the flower of beauty.
|-
|13
|Recitative
|Daphne
|Ah! A God should follow after no other love than for objects eternal;
the fleeting dust will perish, will end,
that makes me pleasing to you,
but not the virtue that protects me.
|-
|14
|Aria
|Daphne
|As in gentle heaven the star of Neptune calms the storm,
so in an honest and fair soul, reason holds love in check.
|-
|15
|Recitative
|Apollo
|Hear my reason!
|-
|
|(continued)
|Daphne
|I am deaf!
|-
|
|(continued)
|Apollo
|A bear you are, a tigress!
|-
|
|(continued)
|Daphne
|You are no God!
|-
|
|(continued)
|Apollo
|Yield to love, or you will feel my force.
|-
|
|(continued)
|Daphne
|In my blood this ardour of yours will be quenched.
|-
|16
|Duet
|Apollo
|Ah! Soften that harsh severity.
|-
|
|(continued)
|Daphne
|To die is better than to lose my honour.
|-
|
|(continued)
|Apollo
|Ah! Cease your anger, O beloved of my heart.
|-
|
|(continued)
|Daphne
|To die is better than to lose my honour.
|-
|17
|Recitative
|Apollo
|Always will I adore you!
|-
|
|(continued)
|Daphne
|Always will I abhor you!
|-
|
|(continued)
|Apollo
|You shall not escape me!
|-
|
|(continued)
|Daphne
|Yes, I will escape you!
|-
|
|(continued)
|Apollo
|I will follow you, run after you, fly in your steps:
swifter that the sun you cannot be.
|-
|18
|Aria
|Apollo
|Run, my feet: hold tight, my arms, the ungrateful beauty.
I touch her, I hold her, I take her, I hold her tight...
But what sudden change is this?
What did I see? What behold?
Heavens! Fate! Whatever is it!
|-
|19
|Recitative
|Apollo
|Daphne, where are you? I cannot find you.
What new miracle has taken you away, changed you and hidden you?
May the cold of winter never harm you nor the thunder of heaven touch your sacred and glorious foliage.
|-
|20
|Aria
|Apollo
|Dear laurel, with my tears I shall water your green leaves;
with your triumphant branches will I crown the greatest heroes.
If I cannot hold you in my bosom, Daphne, at least on my brow will I wear you.
|}
Secularity
Secularity is the state of being separate from religion.For instance, eating and bathing may be regarded as examples of secular activities, because there may not be anything inherently religious about them...
cantata
Cantata
A cantata is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir....
composed by George Frideric Handel
George Frideric Handel
George Frideric Handel was a German-British Baroque composer, famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos. Handel was born in 1685, in a family indifferent to music...
in 1709–10. Handel began the work in Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
in 1709, but completed it in Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
after arriving in 1710 to take up his appointment as Kapellmeister
Kapellmeister
Kapellmeister is a German word designating a person in charge of music-making. The word is a compound, consisting of the roots Kapelle and Meister . The words Kapelle and Meister derive from the Latin: capella and magister...
to the Elector, the later King George I of Great Britain
George I of Great Britain
George I was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1 August 1714 until his death, and ruler of the Duchy and Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg in the Holy Roman Empire from 1698....
. The work is one of Handel's most ambitious cantatas, and is indicative of the brilliant operatic career to follow in the next 30 years of his life.
The work's original overture has not survived and therefore another of the composer's instrumental works is sometimes substituted as an introduction. The cantata's instrumentation is bright as Handel adds a flute, a pair of oboes and a bassoon to the usual strings.
The work takes just over 40 minutes to perform.
Synopsis
{||valign="top"|Apollo
Apollo
Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...
, having released Greece from tyranny by killing the menacing dragon Python
Python (mythology)
In Greek mythology, Python was the earth-dragon of Delphi, always represented in Greek sculpture and vase-paintings as a serpent. He presided at the Delphic oracle, which existed in the cult center for his mother, Gaia, "Earth," Pytho being the place name that was substituted for the earlier Krisa...
, is in an arrogant mood. He boasts that even Cupid
Cupid
In Roman mythology, Cupid is the god of desire, affection and erotic love. He is the son of the goddess Venus and the god Mars. His Greek counterpart is Eros...
’s archery is no match for his own bow and arrow; however his conceit is shattered upon spying the lovely Daphne
Daphne
Daphne was a female minor nature deity. Pursued by Apollo, she fled and was chased. Daphne begged the gods for help, who then transformed her into Laurel.-Overview:...
. Apollo is instantly smitten and plies his full range of charms in an attempt to win Daphne’s favour. Naturally distrustful, she rejects his advances, stating that she would rather die than lose her honour. Apollo becomes more forceful in insisting that she yield to his love and physically takes hold of her. When all seems lost, Daphne manages to escape his clutches by transforming herself into a laurel tree. Displaying great sorrow, Apollo states that his tears will water her green leaves and that her triumphant branches will be used to crown the greatest heroes.
|rowspan=2|
|-
|
Summary
{| class="wikitable"!Movement!!Type!!Voice!!Text (complete) – translated from the original Italian
|-
|1
|Overture
Overture
Overture in music is the term originally applied to the instrumental introduction to an opera...
|
|
|-
|2
|Recitative
Recitative
Recitative , also known by its Italian name "recitativo" , is a style of delivery in which a singer is allowed to adopt the rhythms of ordinary speech...
|Apollo
|The earth is set free! Greece is avenged! Apollo has conquered!
After such terrors and such slaughter that have devastated and depopulated the country
the Python lies dead, put to death by my hand.
Apollo has triumphed! Apollo has conquered!
|-
|3
|Aria
Aria
An aria in music was originally any expressive melody, usually, but not always, performed by a singer. The term is now used almost exclusively to describe a self-contained piece for one voice usually with orchestral accompaniment...
|Apollo
|The good of the universe relies on this saving bow.
With my praises let the earth resound and sacrifices be prepared to my protecting arm.
|-
|4
|Recitative
|Apollo
|Let Cupid in his pretty pride give way to the force of my arrows;
let him boast no more of the fatal point of his golden arrows.
One Python alone is worth more than a thousand ardent wounded lovers.
|-
|5
|Aria
|Apollo
|Break your bow and cast away your weapons, God of idleness and pleasure.
How can you ever hurt me, naked spirit and blind archer?
|-
|6
|Aria
|Daphne
|Most blest is this soul, that loves only freedom.
There is not peace, there is no calm if the heart is not unfettered.
|-
|7
|Recitative
|Apollo
|What a voice! What a beauty!
This sound, this sight pierces my heart. Nymph!
|-
|
|(continued)
|Daphne
|What do I see, alas?
And who is it that surprises me?
|-
|
|(continued)
|Apollo
|I am a God, whom your beauty has aroused
|-
|
|(continued)
|Daphne
|I know no other God in these woods but only Diana;
do not come near, profane God.
|-
|
|(continued)
|Apollo
|I am Cynthia's brother;
If you love my sister, fair one, pity the one who adores you.
|-
|8
|Aria
|Daphne
|You burn, adore, and beg in vain; only to Cynthia am I faithful.
To her brother's flames of love Cynthia would have me cruel.
|-
|9
|Recitative
|Apollo
|How cruel!
|-
|
|(continued)
|Daphne
|How importunate!
|-
|
|(continued)
|Apollo
|I seek an end to my troubles.
|-
|
|(continued)
|Daphne
|And I shall survive it.
|-
|
|(continued)
|Apollo
|I am consumed with love
|-
|
|(continued)
|Daphne
|I am burning with anger.
|-
|10
|Duet
|Apollo,
Daphne
|A war rages in my breast that I can bear no longer.
|-
|
|(continued)
|Apollo
|I burn, I freeze.
|-
|
|(continued)
|Daphne
|I fear, I suffer.
If this ardour is not checked I can never have peace.
|-
|11
|Recitative
|Apollo
|Be calm now, my dear one.
The beauty that inflames me will not flower for ever;
the fairest that Nature creates passes, and does not last.
|-
|12
|Aria
|Apollo
|As the rose with its thorn quickly comes and quickly goes,
so with sudden flight, passes the flower of beauty.
|-
|13
|Recitative
|Daphne
|Ah! A God should follow after no other love than for objects eternal;
the fleeting dust will perish, will end,
that makes me pleasing to you,
but not the virtue that protects me.
|-
|14
|Aria
|Daphne
|As in gentle heaven the star of Neptune calms the storm,
so in an honest and fair soul, reason holds love in check.
|-
|15
|Recitative
|Apollo
|Hear my reason!
|-
|
|(continued)
|Daphne
|I am deaf!
|-
|
|(continued)
|Apollo
|A bear you are, a tigress!
|-
|
|(continued)
|Daphne
|You are no God!
|-
|
|(continued)
|Apollo
|Yield to love, or you will feel my force.
|-
|
|(continued)
|Daphne
|In my blood this ardour of yours will be quenched.
|-
|16
|Duet
|Apollo
|Ah! Soften that harsh severity.
|-
|
|(continued)
|Daphne
|To die is better than to lose my honour.
|-
|
|(continued)
|Apollo
|Ah! Cease your anger, O beloved of my heart.
|-
|
|(continued)
|Daphne
|To die is better than to lose my honour.
|-
|17
|Recitative
|Apollo
|Always will I adore you!
|-
|
|(continued)
|Daphne
|Always will I abhor you!
|-
|
|(continued)
|Apollo
|You shall not escape me!
|-
|
|(continued)
|Daphne
|Yes, I will escape you!
|-
|
|(continued)
|Apollo
|I will follow you, run after you, fly in your steps:
swifter that the sun you cannot be.
|-
|18
|Aria
|Apollo
|Run, my feet: hold tight, my arms, the ungrateful beauty.
I touch her, I hold her, I take her, I hold her tight...
But what sudden change is this?
What did I see? What behold?
Heavens! Fate! Whatever is it!
|-
|19
|Recitative
|Apollo
|Daphne, where are you? I cannot find you.
What new miracle has taken you away, changed you and hidden you?
May the cold of winter never harm you nor the thunder of heaven touch your sacred and glorious foliage.
|-
|20
|Aria
|Apollo
|Dear laurel, with my tears I shall water your green leaves;
with your triumphant branches will I crown the greatest heroes.
If I cannot hold you in my bosom, Daphne, at least on my brow will I wear you.
|}