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Work data
Original title: Sosarme, Re di Media
Title page of the libretto, London 1732

Title page of the libretto, London 1732

Shape: Opera seria
Original language: Italian
Music: georg Friedrich Handel
Libretto : unknown
Literary source: Antonio Salvi , Dionisio, Re di Portogallo (1707)
Premiere: February 15, 1732
Place of premiere: King's Theater , Haymarket, London
Playing time: 2 ½ hours
Place and time of the action: Sardis in Lydia , around 600 BC Chr.
people
  • Sosarme , King of the Media ( mezzo-soprano )
  • Haliate , King of Lydia ( tenor )
  • Elmira, Haliates daughter and Sosarme's fiancee ( soprano )
  • Erenice, Haliate's wife ( old )
  • Melo, Haliate's illegitimate son (old)
  • Altomaro, Haliates consultant ( bass )
  • Argone, Haliate's son (old)
  • Courtiers, dignitaries, warriors, guards, servants
Title page of the superb edition by Samuel Arnold (after 1786)

Sosarme, Re di Media ( HWV 30) is an opera ( Dramma per musica ) in three acts by Georg Friedrich Händel . The opera was originally supposed to be called Fernando, Re di Castiglia and the setting was the Iberian Peninsula. Presumably in consideration of the interests of the British court, Handel rebuilt the almost completed plot and relocated it to Asia Minor.

Creation & libretto

King Dionysius of Portugal

After the premiere of his less successful Ezio at the beginning of January 1732, Handel first took up Giulio Cesare , who was always popular with the public , so that there was time to take the Sosarme, Re di Media , which was only completed on February 4, until the premiere on February 15 rehearse. “Fine dell 'Opera. GF Handel li 4 di Febraro. 1732 ”is the note at the end of the autograph . The weekday "Venerdy" was written about it afterwards.

In 1707, when the young Handel was in Italy, Antonio Salvi - poet and favorite of Prince Ferdinando de 'Medici - wrote Dionisio, Re di Portogallo , with music by Giacomo Antonio Perti (the music is lost). The forerunner of this libretto is the poem Alfonso Primo by Matteo Noris (Venice 1694). Handel had probably seen a performance of the Pertische Oper in Pratolino (near Florence ) in September 1707 and had kept the subject in mind.

For Salvi, writing opera texts was just a sideline. Nevertheless, his libretti were anything but second-rate - on the contrary: Since there was no need for him to write them for his daily bread, he was able to develop a very individual style that was very much influenced by French drama. His characters, far removed from any routine types of opera seria , are very natural and express their feelings in a very moving way. The leading Italian opera composers of the time felt this too and liked to use his texts: Alessandro Scarlatti , Antonio Vivaldi and Antonio Caldara .

A quarter of a century later, Handel begins to set the story of Salvi under the title Fernando, Re di Castiglia , and comes to the end of the second act. Now he decided to make a radical change because he was obviously too close to real people in the recent past: Originally the piece was set in the Portuguese city of Coimbra and the libretto was about the Portuguese King Dionysius (he ruled from 1279 to 1325) , his son Alfonso IV and Fernando "El Emplazado" of Castile (he ruled from 1295 to 1312); Spicy details such as the role of the illegitimate son Sancio alluded to the historically guaranteed number of children of the Portuguese king out of wedlock. A morally questionable and tyrannical Portuguese king on the English opera stage, who was also dependent on the rescue of the King of Castile, could have damaged the traditionally good relations between England and Portugal and even caused a diplomatic incident. King John V of Portugal was Europe's richest monarch at the time, had amassed an incredible fortune from exploiting the natural resources of Brazil, and the Portuguese were Britain's oldest European ally. In addition, Isabel de Aragón (Isabella) was canonized in 1625 and is currently extremely popular in Portugal as "Rainha Santa Isabel"; a portrayal as an opera character could therefore have been perceived as blasphemous.

The Gothic high grave of St. Elisabeth of Portugal in Coimbra. Isabel de Aragón was canonized in 1625.

So in the middle of the composition process, Handel changed his personal names (with the exception of Altomaro): Fernando became Sosarme, Alfonso became Argone, Sancio became Melo, Isabella became Erenice, Dionisio became Haliate and Elvidia became Elmira. Without touching the plot itself, he relocated the story to a mythical Lydia. With this shift of the plot into a pseudo-historical context, Handel avoided these problems. The father-son conflict that this libretto is about could be portrayed on the opera stage without any concrete historical assignment. The opera knew just as well as the literary theater that subjects were most suitable for the parable that were no longer too present in historical memory.

Nevertheless, the plot of the opera was perceived by the London audience as an open allusion to the tense political situation at the English court between King George II , Crown Prince Frederick , Prince of Wales, and Prime Minister Robert Walpole . The real cause of this feud remains unknown, but its course was well known to the public. The English people hoped that this gloomy political and family situation would be changed by Frederick's sister (and Handel's pupil) Princess Anne , with her fiancé William IV of Orange by her side.

For Handel, who was on the side of the King and Queen Caroline , this conflict had consequences insofar as the Opera of the Nobility was brought into being under the protectorate of the Crown Prince in 1733 , which was directed against Handel's Royal Academy of Music and ultimately its financial Brought about ruin.

As with Handel's operas Poro and Ezio , the editor of the text cannot be determined. He is replaced by Samuel Humphreys questioned the worried has often the English translation for bilingual held playbook and at the time a kind of secretary post at the Haymarket Theater held, or Paolo Antonio Rolli , perhaps, but Handel himself. Again, there was a working primarily from a serious shortening of the recitatives, presumably as a reaction to the poor reception of Ezio and the aversion of the English to long passages in Italian (even if without these the context of the plot is completely lost): Of the original 1,095 recitative lines in Salvi, 575 were victim to the red pen. The fact that this severely detracted from the dramatic structure made up for Handel by writing extraordinary music and focusing on capturing the attention of his restless audience with his arias.

In its new form, the opera was a great success: it ran on eleven evenings between February 15 and March 21. In the "Opera Register", which for a long time was wrongly attributed to Francis Colman , it was noted:

“In Feb ry Sosarmes - a New Opera - by Hendell - took much & was for many Nights much crowded to some peoples admiration.”

"In February, 'Sosarme' - a new opera - by Handel - drew well and, to the amazement of some people, was well attended for many evenings."

- “Opera Register.” London 1732.

And Viscount Percival , later the 1st Earl of Egmont, reports in his diary on February 22nd:

"I went to the Opera Sosarmis, made by Hendel, which takes with the town, and that justly, for it is one of the best I ever heard."

"I was in the opera 'Sosarme' by Handel, it arrives in town and rightly so, because it is one of the best I've ever heard."

- Viscount Percival : Diary. London 1732.

Cast of the premiere:

Handel took up Sosarme again for three performances in 1734, beginning on April 27th. Mrs. Pendarves , Handel's Brook Street neighbor and lifelong admirer, attended the April 26 morning rehearsal and performance and found Sosarme

“[…] A most delightful opera […,…] a charming one, and yet I dare say it will be almost empty! 'Tis vexatious to have such music neglected. "

“[…] One of the most beautiful operas […,…] an enchanting piece, and yet I dare to say that almost no one will go! It's a hassle to see such music neglected. "

- Mary Pendarves : letters to Ann Granville. London 1734.

Mrs. Pendarves was right, because there were no other productions of the play in the 18th century. Sosarme was first heard again when the BBC broadcast a performance of the second act on the radio in December 1948. Another concert performance in Goldsmiths' Hall on January 28, 1955, this time all three acts, albeit shortened, was associated with the record production of the work with the “St. Cecilia Orchestra ”under the direction of Anthony Lewis.

The first stage performance of the opera in modern times took place on September 8, 1970 at the Unicorn Theater Club in Abingdon (Great Britain) in an English text version by Alan Kitching. The musical direction was Antony le Fleming. Shortly thereafter, the opera was played for the first time in the original language and historical performance practice during the Kent Festival on June 22, 1972 in Stour (Olantigh) . The initiator of this performance was the pioneer of the faithful revival of early music and countertenor Alfred Deller . The Deller Consort and the Collegium Aureum played under his direction, while he sang the title role.

On February 18, 2005, the opera was first performed as Fernando, Re di Castiglia with Il complesso barocco under the direction of Alan Curtis at the Teatro Nacional de São Carlos in Lisbon in its original version. Curtis had not only restored the historical names, but also reversed Handel's changes to the reworking in the musical passages.

action

Historical and literary background

Background of operas related topics are actual events at the Portuguese court at the beginning of the 14th century: Dionysius marched 1295 into Castile. In 1297 the Treaty of Alcañices was signed between Dionysius and the new Castilian king Ferdinand , with which the border between Castile and Portugal was finally established - it essentially corresponds to the border between Spain and Portugal, which is still valid today. The new peace was also strengthened by weddings: Dionysius married his two children from his marriage to St. Elisabeth of Portugal, his daughter Constança with the Castilian king himself; his son Alfonso IV with Beatrix of Castile , a sister of the Castilian king. A rivalry broke out between one of his seven or more illegitimate children, Afonso Sanches, and his legitimate Alfons for his succession to the throne. The transfer of the plot from the Portuguese Coimbra to Lydian Sardis, the time shift of almost 2000 years, happened completely without historical reference. Only the names of Sosarme ( Kyaxares II. ) And Haliate ( Alyattes II. ) Are reminiscent of historical people in Asia Minor in the 6th century BC.

first act

In the war against his father Haliate, who denied him his birthright and sees his illegitimate son Melo as heir to the throne, Argone holed up in the city of Sardis, which is now besieged by his father's army. Only fighting the besiegers in open battle can help against hunger in the city. Argone's soldiers are ready to follow him into battle.

In the palace of Sardis, Erenice tells her daughter Elmira of a terrible dream in which Hecate appeared and prophesied that the war would end today with blood shed by the son. Erenice sees this dream as an announcement that either Haliate or Argon will die. Elmira is unable to comfort her mother. When she also brings the news that Argone has decided the battle against the father's army, Erenice sees her worst premonitions confirmed and decides to prevent this unnatural fight.

In the encampment outside the city, Altomaro tries to convince his grandson Melo, his daughter's illegitimate son with Haliate, of his plan to put him on the throne in Argone's place. But Melo refuses to participate in this wicked plan. When Sosarme finds him in his mind and asks why, Melo shows understanding for Argone's refusal to receive his father and his army in Sardis. Sosarme offers to negotiate with Argone, as this also gives him the opportunity to see his bride Elmira. Melo wishes Sosarme luck and hopes that peace will return. Haliate is certainly far from this wish. Sosarme tries to convince him that Argone has a right to the succession to the throne - in vain: Haliate swears fatal revenge on the rebellious son and includes in this curse all who stay with Argone. In response to this monstrosity, Sosarme announces his friendship and loyalty to the alliance and leaves him who should have become his father-in-law. Haliate remains unteachable.

Again the scene changes to the palace of Sardis. Argone wants to go to battle, but is held back by his mother and sister, who beg him not to go to war against his father. They have almost achieved their goal when the choir of soldiers repeats the battle cry of the first scene and tears Argon out of the pensive mood. He quickly follows the soldiers. Erenice and Elmira stay behind in despair.

Second act

In the royal hall, Elmira gives in to her despair: whoever wins will cause her pain. She watched the fight from the tower, but couldn't see who won. Terrified, she and Erenice watch Argone return with a bloody sword. It is not the blood of his father Haliate, but Sosarmes blood; with the unconscious Elmira in her arms, Erenice insults her son as a monster.

In a garden Altomaro tries to cheer up Haliate: Argone's success is the last desperate victory before its end. When Melo joins the group and demands Sosarmes freedom in the name of the Median people, Haliate's anger breaks out: Two insubordinate sons are too many. To punish Melo, he tells Altomaro to start peace negotiations with Argone. When the king has left, Melo refuses once again to illegally seek the succession to the throne. Altomaro then decides to act himself and to promote his grandson to the throne through an intrigue.

Elmira takes care of her wounded fiancé in a room in the palace. Both are happy to be united in at least this way. Erenice comes with the news that Haliate is sending a negotiator and asks Sosarme to intercede with Argone for peace.

Argone, to the relief of his mother and sister, is willing to follow Sosarme's arguments. Altomaro appears in the throne room with an offer, supposedly made up by Haliate, to end the bloodshed by deciding the fight by a duel between father and son. In general horror at this suggestion, Argone accepts the challenge and hurries off with Altomaro. Erenice decides to rush to the camp and dissuade her husband from the terrible plan. Sosarme says goodbye to Elmira to follow Argone, and Elmira is left full of fear and hope.

Third act

Outside the walls of Sardis, Haliate asks the returned Altomaro if Argone has accepted his proposal. Altomaro now completes his intrigue and reports full of hypocritical horror that not only did Argone reject his peace offer, but Erenice also urged him to challenge his father to a duel. Altomaro's plan seems to be working: Haliate angrily refuses to listen to his wife when she tries to dissuade him from what she believes is his. Instead, he orders Melo to guard her. He, once again with the intention of mediating, now has to learn that it was not Erenice who proposed the duel, but Altomaro. He leads them to his tent and, for his part, has a plan: He wants to ask his father to fight argons in his place, and then to throw away the sword and embrace his half-brother as a sign of reconciliation.

In the royal garden, Argone wants to set out to fight, but is held back by Elmira and Sosarme. But Argon cannot be stopped. Sosarme follows him to protect him from himself, and Elmira remains uneasy.

Haliate waits for Argone in the open. Melo arrives in his place, but is sent away by his father. Now Altomaro approaches with argon and two swords. Father and son begin to fight until Erenice and Melo intervene; she is injured by Argone, he by Haliate. Horrified at this act, they both pause and throw their swords away. Altomaro escapes, and Melo discovers his grandfather's intrigue. Sosarme and Elmira join them and report that Altomaro gave himself to death. Argone asks the father for forgiveness, which he gladly grants. Erenice is happy that the oracle turned out differently than expected, and Sosarme and Elmira are looking forward to the luck ahead.

Fernando, Re di Castiglia

Compared to the original planning of the opera, the following parts are identical:

  • Sosarme = Fernando , King of Castile and fiancé Elvida
  • Haliate = Dionisio , King of Portugal
  • Elmira = Elvida , Dionisos daughter
  • Erenice = Isabella , Dionisios wife, Queen of Portugal
  • Melo = Sancio , Dionisio's illegitimate son and rival of his half-brother Alfonso
  • Altomaro = Altomaro, Dionisios Councilor
  • Argone = Alfonso , Dionisios and Isabella's son, rightful heir to the throne

music

In addition to the usual French overture , with a rich set of instruments and seven written parts, the opera also has two symphonies as instrumental movements. In addition to three duets, there are two choral movements. Apart from the two Accompagnato recitatives and one arioso , there are 21 complete arias in the score. The literature of the music of this opera says that it contains more homophonic factors than is usual in Handel's operas, that the composer renounced all filigree work and that the orchestra sounds more like a symphonic ensemble of the pre-classical period. The text and Handel's music are so basic and general that at the end of the second act, which was already completed, it was still easily possible to shift material and music from the Iberian peninsula of the Middle Ages to the ancient world of Asia Minor.

Sosarme is an opera in upheaval. It contains some anticipations of early and even classical music. The music is differentiated as far as the arias are concerned. In addition to the usual baroque sound formation, there is not only Handel's will to expand and reform the conventional baroque, but also to oppose the virtuoso ornamentation and psychological deepening of the figures with a considerable degree of dramatic linear simplification. Much is anticipated here from Gluck and Mozart .

The libretto demands a lot of compositional effort: the mother, Erenice, standing between husband and son, characterizes Handel with a mixture of the heroism of Greek tragedies and despairing, feminine, soft and tender love. Handel may have thought of Princess Caroline . King Sosarme is represented by a castrato and Handel succeeds in the musical miracle of not only psychologizing this type of singing voice, but also tying the arias to a melos that (nonetheless) documents the heroic. His duet with Elmira Per le porte del tormento (No. 18) is one of the most beautiful and poignant love duets that Handel had ever composed and is the musical climax of an unusual situation: the wounded titular hero lying on a bed is cared for by his lover Elmira who is not in despair about his condition, but just happy to have him, whom she previously believed dead, alive with her. In this situation, Sosarme and Elmira sing a duet that is about pain and bliss:

“Per le porte del tormento passan l'anime a gioir. Sta 'l contento del cordoglio sul confine, Non v'è rosa senza spine ne piacer senza martir. ”

“Through the gates of torment, souls pass to joy. Satisfaction is at the limit of sorrow, there is no rose without thorns and no pleasure without suffering. "

Handel turned this text into an almost overly long duet - as if Elmira and Sosarme wanted to savor this moment of happiness to the limit. The siciliano gesture , which Handel reserved for pastoral as well as extremely desperate situations, refers to a special, prominent moment as well as the key of E major. Embedded in a lush, flowing string section, Elmira and Sosarme also often sing in the usual parallel sixths and dissonances with the familiar suspense , but Handel also enriches this duet with numerous, arcadian-pastoral organ points, which underline the heavenly nature of this gift togetherness.

Finally, there is the unjustly rebellious son Argone, who manages - albeit in an intriguing manner - to challenge his irreproachable father Haliate to a duel. Handel also copes with this situation and the musical incorporation of the noble illegitimate Haliate son Melo. For the part of Altomaro an aria Fra l'ombre e gl'orrori (No. 6) had been taken especially for the bassist Montagnana from the Serenata Aci, Galatea e Polifemo , composed in Naples in 1708 , but not even he was expected to join to cope with the extreme jumps of the original. Handel also revised the instrumentation, bowed the two flutes and reused the basso continuo that had been banned from the original. Charles Burney was impressed with Montagnana - by the depth, violence and smoothness of his voice and his unique accuracy in the intonation of the wide intervals.

The changeful adaptation of Handel's music to the situation in Sosarme results from the traditional will to use the correlative passability method, but to stretch melodic positions and structures from recourse to the Renaissance to the anticipation of Romanticism. Polyphones are also not uninteresting. The homophonic line, which extends from the overture to individual scenes and groups of scenes, results from the increased ambition to provide the music with opportunities for cooperative networking. What may seem disordered, quickly made or one-sided, is the difficult attempt to provide textual weaknesses, contradictions and (ab) changes with an unrecognizable but audible guide.

The hint, sometimes to be read, that the final choir should be sung by a real independent choir, cannot be accepted. In his autograph, Handel put the names of the people who are to sing the five-part choir ensemble on the edge of the note: Elmira (1st part), Sosarme and Melo (2nd part), Erenice and Argone (3rd part), Haliate (4th part). Voice) and Altomaro (5th voice). The choir is in the extremely rare 9/8 time and in addition to an eight-measure instrumental introduction, the strong orchestra not only performs an accompanying function, but also actively participates with independent echoes and interludes. When a “splendid” choir is written in literature, then two elements in particular are meant: the glorious instrumental line-up and the five-part vocal structure. However, the text also contributes to this inviolable judgment: “Dopo l'ire si funeste dell'amore spenda la face.” (“After such a struggle and such fatal fear, the fire of love may rekindle.”) So it is not that "Peace", which is placed in the foreground, it is also not important to give "reconciliation" the first place in the series of discoveries that have come about, rather it is "love" that is celebrated as a contracted result.

Success and criticism

“We have likewise had two Operas, Etius and Sosarmes, the first most Masterly, the last most pleasing, and in my mind exceeding pretty: There are two Duetto's which Ravish me, and indeed the whole is vastly Genteel; (I am sorry I am so wicked) but I like one good Opera better than Twenty Oratorio's. ”

“There were also two operas, Etius and Sosarmes: the first was masterful, the latter extremely pleasing, and in my opinion really very beautiful. There are two duets in it that delighted me, and in fact the whole opera is extremely amiable. Sorry, I'm so godless: but I prefer a good opera to twenty oratorios. "

- Aaron Hill (?) : See and Seem Blind Or, A Critical DISSERTATION ON THE Publick DIVERSIONS, & c. June 1732.

“Sosarme had ten [eleven] performances this year, so it was more popular than Ezio. It cannot be said that it was merely his inner worth, for there are some great traits in Ezio which Sosarme cannot boast. But a rich variety of musical modes of expression, beautiful singable melodies (e.g. the first aria of the Strada 'Rendi'l sereno al ciglio', the duets 'Per le porte del tormente' and 'Tu caro', the menuet for Senesino, and many others), a happy leaning towards the new direction (just consider, among others, the excellent tenor chants 'La turba adulatrice' and 'Se discordia') and a well-calculated brevity gave him the predominance at that time. At least it remains an excellent work. The final chorus is brilliant and rich. Tenor and bass are given the best possible attention alongside the upper voices, Montagnana especially in the important chant 'Sento il cor', as every voice and every dramatic person has its right to do without fearful consideration for the singers. As natural and worthy of praise as this now appears to us, it was daring and detrimental to the momentary success at a time when those opera-goers who had previously enjoyed Bononcini and then the beggar's opera were more and more of the New Italian trend streamed in. "

- Friedrich Chrysander : GF Handel. Leipzig 1860.

Winton Dean had pointed out dramatic weaknesses in the opera in 1958, including Sosarme's delayed entry into the story and his minimal influence on the action, as well as his weak character development. He has also admitted that the quality of musical inspiration is within these limits. Almost 50 years later, however, Dean wrote that

“[…] Sosarme does more honor to Handel as an musician than as a dramatist […] The characters […] sing exquisite music […] The variety of resource in rhythm, melody, harmony and design is as striking as in any of the operas; all three duets and the final coro are of exceptional merit. Yet Sosarme remains too close to the received idea of opera seria as a string of unmatched pearls. "

“ Sosarme does the musician Handel more credit than the playwright. […] The performers […] have exquisite music to sing […] The inventive diversity in terms of rhythm, melody, harmony and design is as remarkable as in some of his operas. All three duets and the final chorus are outstanding compositions. But Sosarme remains too committed to the original idea of ​​the 'Opera seria' as a series of incomparable musical pearls. "

- Winton Dean : Handel's Operas, 1726–1741. London 2006.

orchestra

Two oboes , bassoon , two trumpets , two horns , strings, basso continuo (violoncello, lute, harpsichord).

We know from Charles Burney that Pietro Castrucci played the solo violin in Erenice's aria Cuor di madre, e cuor di moglie (No. 25). On the other hand, there is no contemporary evidence for the assumption in The New Grove that Castrucci played the aria on his Violetta marina , which he invented .

Discography

So poor

The Saint Cecilia Orchestra; Dir. Anthony Lewis (146 min)
  • Muza SX 2089/90 (1981): Marcin Szczycinski (Sosarme), Piotr Kusiewicz (Haliate), Malgorzata Armanowska (Elmira), Ewa Werka (Erenice), Jadwiga Rappé (Melo), Marek Gasztecki (Altomaro), Piotr Kusiewicz (Argone)
Polish Radio and TV Chamber Orchestra Poznań; Dir. Agnieszka Duczmal
Amor Artis Orchestra; Dir. Johannes Somary (129 min)

Fernando

  • Virgin Classics 00946548326 (2005): Lawrence Zazzo (Fernando), Filippo Adami (Dionisio), Veronica Cangemi (Elvida), Marianna Pizzolato (Isabella), Max Emanuel Cencic (Sancio), Antonio Abete (Altomaro), Neal Banerjee (Alfonso)
Il complesso barocco ; Dir. Alan Curtis (149 min)

literature

Web links

Commons : Sosarme  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Christopher Hogwood: Georg Friedrich Händel. A biography (= Insel-Taschenbuch 2655). Translated from the English by Bettina Obrecht. Insel Verlag, Frankfurt am Main / Leipzig 2000, ISBN 3-458-34355-5 , p. 177
  2. ^ A b Friedrich Chrysander: GF Handel. Second volume. Breitkopf & Härtel, Leipzig 1860, p. 251 f.
  3. ↑ a b Silke Leopold: Handel. The operas. Bärenreiter-Verlag, Kassel 2009, ISBN 978-3-7618-1991-3 , p. 67 ff.
  4. ↑ a b c d e Silke Leopold: Handel. The operas. Bärenreiter-Verlag, Kassel 2009, ISBN 978-3-7618-1991-3 , p. 291 ff.
  5. ↑ a b c Bernd Baselt: Thematic-systematic directory. Stage works. In: Walter Eisen (Ed.): Handel Handbook: Volume 1. Deutscher Verlag für Musik, Leipzig 1978, ISBN 3-7618-0610-8 (Unchanged reprint, Kassel 2008, ISBN 978-3-7618-0610-4 ) , P. 372 f.
  6. ↑ So arms . haendel.cz. Retrieved February 6, 2013.
  7. ^ Sosarme, Handel House Museum London . handelhouse.org. Retrieved February 6, 2013.
  8. ^ Editing management of the Halle Handel Edition: Documents on life and work. In: Walter Eisen (Hrsg.): Handel manual: Volume 4. Deutscher Verlag für Musik, Leipzig 1985, ISBN 3-7618-0717-1 , p. 199.
  9. ^ Editing management of the Halle Handel Edition: Documents on life and work. In: Walter Eisen (Hrsg.): Handel manual: Volume 4. Deutscher Verlag für Musik, Leipzig 1985, ISBN 3-7618-0717-1 , p. 197.
  10. ^ Editing management of the Halle Handel Edition: Documents on life and work. In: Walter Eisen (ed.): Handel manual: Volume 4. Deutscher Verlag für Musik, Leipzig 1985, ISBN 3-7618-0717-1 , p. 240 f.
  11. ↑ Winton Dean: Handel's Operas, 1726-1741. Boydell & Brewer, London 2006, Reprint: The Boydell Press, Woodbridge 2009, ISBN 978-1-84383-268-3 , p. 228.
  12. ↑ Concert Programs . concertprogrammes.org.uk. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
  13. ^ Paul Henry Lang: Georg Friedrich Handel. His life, his style and his position in English intellectual and cultural life. Bärenreiter-Verlag, Basel 1979, ISBN 3-7618-0567-5 , p. 216.
  14. ^ A b c d Albert Scheibler: All 53 stage works by Georg Friedrich Handel, opera guide. Edition Köln, Lohmar / Rheinland 1995, ISBN 3-928010-05-0 , p. 638 ff.
  15. ^ Silke Leopold: Handel. The operas. Bärenreiter-Verlag, Kassel 2009, ISBN 978-3-7618-1991-3 , p. 166.
  16. ↑ Aaron Hill (?): See and Seem Blind Or, A Critical DISSERTATION ON THE Publick DIVERSIONS, & c. June 1732. In: William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, University of California, 1986, p. XXIX.
  17. ↑ Commerce Reference Database . ichriss.ccarh.org. Retrieved February 6, 2013.
  18. ^ Winton Dean: Handel's Dramatic Music on Records. In: Music & Letters. No. 39, January 1958, p. 57 ff.
  19. ↑ Winton Dean: Handel's Operas, 1726-1741. Boydell & Brewer, London 2006, Reprint: The Boydell Press, Woodbridge 2009, ISBN 978-1-84383-268-3 , p. 215.
  20. ↑ Winton Dean: Handel's Operas, 1726-1741. Boydell & Brewer, London 2006, Reprint: The Boydell Press, Woodbridge 2009, ISBN 978-1-84383-268-3 , p. 225.