Ero e Leandro
Encyclopedia
Ero e Leandro, also known after its first line as Qual ti reveggio, oh Dio (HWV 150), is a 1707 Italian-language
cantata
by George Frideric Handel
, composed during his stay in Rome
to a libretto believed to be written by Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni. It is a reworking of the Greek myth of Hero and Leander
, with the soprano soloist taking the role of Hero. In it, Hero finds her love, Leander, drowned, tears out her hair, thus symbolically rejecting the beauty which had led to Leander's fascination with her (and thus his death), then drowns herself. It is composed for a soprano solo (with no other singers), and a small orchestra consisting of two oboes, and two string sections: a concertino
of solo violin and violoncello, and a concerto grosso
made up of two violins, a viola, and continuo
. In Ero e Leanro, Recitatives alternate with arias, as was normal at the period for not only cantatas, but oratorio
s and opera
s as well; however, unusually, Ero e Leandro ends with a recitative, instead of an aria.
Ero e Leandro comes from a period very eary in Handel's career, when Handel, having travelled to Italy in 1706, was replacing his former Germanic style of composition with the Italian style that he would use for the rest of his life. Music from it would be reused by Handel in his later compositions: Themes taken from this opera appear in both Handel's Recorder Sonata Opus 1, No 2 and in his Utrecht Te Deum for the setting of "Vouchsafe, O Lord". In Agrippina
, Agrippina's aria "Non ho che cor amarti" was taken, almost entirely unadapted, from "Se la morte non vorrà".
It is the only of Handel's cantatas known, to reasonable certainty, to have been written under the patronage of Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni, an important patron of the arts in Italy for whom Handel is known to have written many cantatas, but, outside of Ero e Leandro, it's somewhat uncertain which these are.
Ero e Leandro was first published in 1999 as part of Hallische Händel-Ausgabe's attempt to create a complete edition of all of Handel's works. It appears in Georg Friedrich Händel. Kantaten mit Instrumenten, III: HWV 150, 165, 166, 170, 171, 173.
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
cantata
Cantata
A cantata is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir....
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...
, composed during his stay in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
to a libretto believed to be written by Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni. It is a reworking of the Greek myth of Hero and Leander
Hero and Leander
Hero and Leander is a Byzantine myth, relating the story of Hērō and like "hero" in English), a priestess of Aphrodite who dwelt in a tower in Sestos on the European side of the Dardanelles, and Leander , a young man from Abydos on the opposite side of the strait. Leander fell in love with Hero...
, with the soprano soloist taking the role of Hero. In it, Hero finds her love, Leander, drowned, tears out her hair, thus symbolically rejecting the beauty which had led to Leander's fascination with her (and thus his death), then drowns herself. It is composed for a soprano solo (with no other singers), and a small orchestra consisting of two oboes, and two string sections: a concertino
Concertino (group)
A concertino is the smaller group of instruments in a concerto grosso. This is opposed to the ripieno which is the larger group contrasting with the concertino....
of solo violin and violoncello, and a concerto grosso
Concerto grosso
The concerto grosso is a form of baroque music in which the musical material is passed between a small group of soloists and full orchestra...
made up of two violins, a viola, and continuo
Figured bass
Figured bass, or thoroughbass, is a kind of integer musical notation used to indicate intervals, chords, and non-chord tones, in relation to a bass note...
. In Ero e Leanro, Recitatives alternate with arias, as was normal at the period for not only cantatas, but oratorio
Oratorio
An oratorio is a large musical composition including an orchestra, a choir, and soloists. Like an opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias...
s and opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
s as well; however, unusually, Ero e Leandro ends with a recitative, instead of an aria.
Ero e Leandro comes from a period very eary in Handel's career, when Handel, having travelled to Italy in 1706, was replacing his former Germanic style of composition with the Italian style that he would use for the rest of his life. Music from it would be reused by Handel in his later compositions: Themes taken from this opera appear in both Handel's Recorder Sonata Opus 1, No 2 and in his Utrecht Te Deum for the setting of "Vouchsafe, O Lord". In Agrippina
Agrippina (opera)
Agrippina is an opera seria in three acts by George Frideric Handel, from a libretto by Cardinal Vincenzo Grimani. Composed for the Venice Carnevale season, the opera tells the story of Agrippina, the mother of Nero, as she plots the downfall of the Roman Emperor Claudius and the installation of...
, Agrippina's aria "Non ho che cor amarti" was taken, almost entirely unadapted, from "Se la morte non vorrà".
It is the only of Handel's cantatas known, to reasonable certainty, to have been written under the patronage of Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni, an important patron of the arts in Italy for whom Handel is known to have written many cantatas, but, outside of Ero e Leandro, it's somewhat uncertain which these are.
Ero e Leandro was first published in 1999 as part of Hallische Händel-Ausgabe's attempt to create a complete edition of all of Handel's works. It appears in Georg Friedrich Händel. Kantaten mit Instrumenten, III: HWV 150, 165, 166, 170, 171, 173.
Music
- Qual ti reveggio, oh Dio (Recitative)
- Empio mare (Aria)
- Amor, che ascoso (Recitative)
- Se la morte non vorrà (Aria)
- Questi dalla mia fronte (Recitative)
- Si muora (Aria)
- Ecco, gelide labbra (Recitative)