La resurrezione (HWV 47) is a sacred
oratorioAn oratorio is a large musical composition including an orchestra, a choir, and soloists. The oratorio was somewhat modeled after the opera. Their similarities include the use of a choir, soloists, an ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias...
by
George Frideric HandelGeorge Frideric Handel was a German-English Baroque composer, who is famous for his operas, oratorios, and concerti grossi. His life and music may justly be described as "cosmopolitan": he was born in Germany, trained in Italy, and spent most of his life in England...
, set to a libretto by Carlo Sigismondo Capece (1652-1728). Capece was court poet to Queen Maria Casimira of Poland, who was living in exile in Rome. It was first performed on the Easter Sunday of 1708 at
RomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated municipality , with over 2.7 million residents in , while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat to be 3.46 million. The metropolitan area of Rome is estimated by OECD to have a population of 3.7 million...
, with the backing of the Marchese Francesco Ruspoli, Handel's patron at this time. The work details the events between - and during - Good Friday and Easter Sunday, with the action carried forward in
recitativeRecitative , 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...
, and exploration of character and delineation of mood taking place in the
ariaAn 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...
s.
La resurrezione (HWV 47) is a sacred
oratorioAn oratorio is a large musical composition including an orchestra, a choir, and soloists. The oratorio was somewhat modeled after the opera. Their similarities include the use of a choir, soloists, an ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias...
by
George Frideric HandelGeorge Frideric Handel was a German-English Baroque composer, who is famous for his operas, oratorios, and concerti grossi. His life and music may justly be described as "cosmopolitan": he was born in Germany, trained in Italy, and spent most of his life in England...
, set to a libretto by Carlo Sigismondo Capece (1652-1728). Capece was court poet to Queen Maria Casimira of Poland, who was living in exile in Rome. It was first performed on the Easter Sunday of 1708 at
RomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated municipality , with over 2.7 million residents in , while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat to be 3.46 million. The metropolitan area of Rome is estimated by OECD to have a population of 3.7 million...
, with the backing of the Marchese Francesco Ruspoli, Handel's patron at this time. The work details the events between - and during - Good Friday and Easter Sunday, with the action carried forward in
recitativeRecitative , 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...
, and exploration of character and delineation of mood taking place in the
ariaAn 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...
s. The characters of the liturgical drama that appear in the oratorio are Lucifer (bass), Mary Magdalene (soprano), an Angel (soprano), St John the Evangelist (tenor), and St Mary Cleophas (alto).
A large orchestra was employed for the occasion, consisting of 39 strings of varying types, 1 bass viol, 2 trumpets, 1 trombone, and 4 oboes. The staging and scenery were also lavishly produced, and though Roman censorship of the time forbade
operaOpera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score. Opera is part of the Western classical music tradition. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
,
La resurrezione was certainly produced in an operatic manner. It was produced at
RuspoliThe Ruspolis are an ancient and noble Italian family . The origins of the family can be traced back to the Ruspolis of Florence in the 13th Century and through its direct descendance from Marius Scotus in the 8th Century and the Marescottis of Bologna...
's
Palazzo in the main hall on the ground floor. A series of terraced seats, 4 in number, was built for the orchestra, curved towards the audience and rising at the back. Twenty-eight specially commissioned music stands were built for the occasion, engraved with either the coat-of-arms of Ruspoli or his wife. The
prosceniumA Proscenium theatre is a theatre space whose primary feature is a large frame or arch , which is located at or near the front of the stage...
was decorated with a tapestry depicting cherubs, palm trees, and foliage: in the middle of which hung a plaque with the name of the oratorio. The 46 letters were spread out over 4 lines, each letter about 18 cm in height. These letters were brought into prominence by the backing light of seventy light pans. The canvas backdrop represented pictorially the characters of Handel's oratorio, and in the centre was depicted the resurrection itself.
The role of Mary Magdalene was sung at the first performance by the
sopranoA soprano is a singing voice with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music...
Margherita DurastantiMargherita Durastanti was an Italian singer of the 18th century. Vocally, she is best described as a soprano, though later in her career her tessitura descended to that of a mezzo-soprano. First heard of professionally in Mantua in 1700-01, she later appeared in Bologna and Reggio Emilia , Milan...
. The participation of female singers was prohibited by Papal edict, and the Pope went to the length of admonishing Ruspoli for permitting Durastanti to take part. For the remaining performances, her role was sung by a
castratoA castrato is a man with a singing voice equivalent to that of a soprano, mezzo-soprano, or contralto voice produced either by castration of the singer before puberty or one who, because of an endocrinological condition, never reaches sexual maturity.Castration before puberty prevents a boy's...
. The only details given concerning this individual are that he was called "Pippo", and that he was in service to the former Queen Casimiri. Durastanti later sang the title role in Handel's
AgrippinaAgrippina is an opera seria in three acts by George Frideric Handel, from a libretto by Cardinal Vincenzo Grimani. Composed for the 1709–10 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...
. The aria "Ho un non so che" , which she had sung as Mary Magdalene anticipating the resurrection, appears entirely unadapted for her to sing in
Agrippina, though in a different context. The violins at the first performance of
La resurrezione were led by the famous violinist
Arcangelo CorelliArcangelo Corelli was an Italian violinist and composer of Baroque music.-Biography:Corelli was born at Fusignano, Romagna, in the current-day province of Ravenna. Little is known about his early life. His master on the violin was Giovanni Battista Bassani...
(who also conducted the work).
Other catalogues of Handel's music have referred to the work as
HGThe Händel-Gesellschaft, or "German Handel Society," produced the second collected edition of the works of Georg Frideric Handel between 1858 and 1902...
xxxix; and HHA i/3.
A typical performance of the work takes about 1 hour and 50 minutes.
Structure
| Part |
Type |
Voice |
Name |
| I |
Overture |
|
|
| I |
Aria |
Angel |
Disseratevi |
| I |
Recitative |
Lucifer |
Qual in solita luce |
| I |
Aria |
Lucifer |
Ca die, ever |
| I |
Recitative |
Angel, Lucifer |
Ma che veggio |
| I |
Recitative |
Angel, Lucifer |
Chi sei |
| I |
Aria |
Angel |
D'amor fuconsiglio |
| I |
Recitative |
Angel, Lucifer |
Eben, questo tuo Nume |
| I |
Aria |
Lucifer |
O' voi dell'Erebas |
| I |
Recitative |
Mary Magdalene |
Notte |
| I |
Aria |
Mary Magdalene |
Ferma l'ali |
| I |
Recitative |
Mary Magdalene, St Mary Cleophas |
Concedio o Magdalena |
| I |
Recitative |
Mary Magdalene, St Mary Cleophas |
Ahi doce mio Signore |
| I |
Duet |
Mary Magdalene, St Mary Cleophas |
Doci chiodi |
| I |
Recitative |
St John, Mary Magdalene, St Mary Cleophas |
O Cleofe |
| I |
Aria |
St John |
Cosi la tortorella |
| I |
Recitative |
Mary Magdalene |
Se Maria dunque spera |
| I |
Aria |
Mary Magdalene |
Houn non sonel cor |
| I |
Recitative |
Angel |
Uscite pur |
| I |
Finale |
All |
Il Nume vincitor trionfi |
| II |
Overture |
|
|
| II |
Recitative |
St John |
Die qual nuovi porteni |
| II |
Aria |
St John |
Eco il sol |
| II |
Recitative |
St John |
Maove Maria dimora |
| II |
Aria |
Angel |
Risorga il mondo |
| II |
Recitative |
Angel |
Di cabbia induro freme |
| II |
Duet |
Angel, Lucifer |
Misero |
| II |
Aria |
Lucifer |
Percelare il nuovo scorno |
| II |
Recitative |
Angel |
Oh come ciesco |
| II |
Duet |
Angel, Lucifer |
Impedirlo sapro |
| II |
Recitative |
Mary Magdalene, St Mary Cleophas |
Amica |
| II |
Aria |
Mary Magdalene |
Per me giadi morire |
| II |
Recitative |
Lucifer |
Ahi abborito nome |
| II |
Aria |
St Mary Cleophas |
Vedo il ciel |
| II |
Recitative |
Mary Magdalene, Angel, St Mary Cleophas |
Cleofe, sian giunto al luogo |
| II |
Aria |
Angel |
Se per colpa di donna |
| II |
Recitative |
Mary Magdalene |
Mio Giesu |
| II |
Aria |
Mary Magdalene |
De cielo dolante |
| II |
Recitative |
St Mary Cleophas |
Si, si cerdiamo pure |
| II |
Aria |
St Mary Cleophas |
Angeletti, ruscelsetti |
| II |
Recitative |
St Mary Cleophas, St John |
Dove si fretto |
| II |
Aria |
St John |
Caro figlio |
| II |
Recitative |
Mary Magdalene, St Mary Cleophas, St John |
Cleofe. Giovanni! Udite |
| II |
Aria |
Mary Magdalene |
Se impossibile immortale |
| II |
Recitative |
Mary Magdalene, St Mary Cleophas, St John |
Si, si col redentero |
| II |
Final |
All |
Dia si lodi in cielo |
E-book
Score of
La Resurrezione (ed.
Friedrich ChrysanderKarl Franz Friedrich Chrysander was a German music historian and critic, whose edition of the works of George Frideric Handel and authoritative writings on many other composers established him as a pioneer of 19th-century musicology.Born at Lübtheen, in Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Chrysander was the son...
, Leipzig 1878)