Ever fallen in love with a piece of music so much that you research it and do a full analysis on it? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just me then….Well here you are, Piangero la sorte mia<\/em> from Giulio Cesare in Egitto<\/em> George\nFredric Handel, the composer of this piece, was born in Halle in 1685 to a\nfamily that was not musicians. Before his tenth birthday he began formal music\ntraining and by 17 he was employed as a church organist. His love of music was\nin Opera though, so in 1703, he went to Hamburg and composed his first opera,\nAlmira. He received patronage with both the nobility and the clergy and had\nmany successes, making it all the way to London. There he composed Giulio Cesare in Egitto<\/em> in 1728, today\nthis opera is considered his masterpiece. 18 years later, Handel died at the\nage of 74 in the year of 1759. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Giulio Cesare in Egitto<\/em> is an Opera seria in three acts and for\nsimplicity will be referred to as just Giulio\nCesare<\/em> throughout the rest of this essay. Handel\u2019s Librettist for Giulio Cesare<\/em> was Nicola Francesco Haym.\nHaym was born in 1678 in Rome and began his career as a cellist in Italy. He\ntravelled to London in 1701 and became the master of the 2nd<\/sup> Duke of\nBedford\u2019s chamber music, he worked much with Handel and died in 1729. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Haym\nloosely based this opera on the History of the Roman Empire and \u201cHaym duly\nlisted his classical sources\u201d[1]<\/a> However,\nHaym more closely follows the retelling of Julius Cesare written by librettist Francesco\nBussani which was set to music by Antonio Sartorio in 1677, which he does not\ncite. The\nOriginal cast of Giulio Cesare include many stars from the Baroque era, as\nfollows: Francesca Cuzzoni (Soprano), Margherita Durastanti (Soprano),\nFrancesco Bernardi, called “Senesino” (Alto castrato), Gaetano\nBerenstadt (Alto castrato), Signor Bigonzi (Alto castrato), Anastasia Robinson\n(Contralto), Giuseppe Maria Boschi (Baritone), and John Lagarde (Bass)[2]<\/a>.\nFrancesca Cuzzoni is of particular interest because she was known as a\n\u201cspit-fire\u201d. However, Handel did not put up with her theatrics, an example is\nas follows. \u201cWhen Handel was rehearsing his opera Ottone<\/em>, Cuzzoni, who had been engaged for 2,000 guineas, refused to\nsing. So Handel threatened to drop her out of the window.\u201d[3]<\/a> After\nlooking at the composer and librettist in detail, a brief Synopsis of Giulio Cesare<\/em> is important to\nunderstanding the focus of this essay, the aria, Pangero la sorte mia<\/em>. Act 1 starts in Egypt, where Giulio Cesare\ncelebrates his victory over Pompey in battle. Pompey\u2019s wife, Cornelia comes and\nbegs for mercy for her husband\u2019s life. Cesare grants it, only to have Tolomeo,\nking of Egypt, presents Cesare with Pompey’s head. Everyone is appalled and\nTolomeo invites Cesare to his quarters, the Emperor refuses. Before leaving,\nTolomeo notices Cornelia and is fascinated by her. Sesto, Cornelia’s son,\nswears to avenge his father’s death and as mother and son part ways from each\nother, they sing their goodbyes. In Act 2, Cleopatra attempts to seduce Cesare\ndisguised as Lydia, claiming to be a servant of Cleopatra\u2019s. Since Tolomeo has\nkilled Pompey and is tyrannical, Cleopatra has decided to become the sole ruler\nof Egypt. Cleopatra hopes Cesare will support her, but before anything can\nhappen, he flees, as Tolomeo\u2019s men plot to kill him. He sings an aria. Once\nCesare has leaves, Cleopatra sings a prayer for Cesare. In Act 3, Cleopatra\u2019s\narmy is defeated by Tolomeo’s men, and she is captured. She is left thinking he\nis dead. Cesare comes to her rescue and Sesto successfully avenges his father. Cesare\nand Cleopatra sing a song of eternal love and Cornelia hands Cesare Tolomeo’s\nroyal seal. The Opera ends. Focusing\non Scene III of Act 3 where Piangero la\nsorte mia <\/em>is, the scene starts out as \u201cOne of the Guards puts Cleopatra in\nChains, and her brother gloats over her humiliation. Alone, with Cesare\nreported dead and no one to help her, she bewails her fate;\u201d[5]<\/a> Shocked,\nCleopatra sings in a recitativo secco \u201cE pur cosi in un giorno (And yet so in\none day)\u201d and quickly moves into the aria \u201cPiangero la sorte mia, crudele (I\nshall weep, my cruel fate)\u201d. This Aria is a da capo aria in ternary form: ABA\nwith basso contineo. The A section starts out in Larghetto in 3\/8 in Cleopatra\u2019s\nhome key E major. Having this aria start out in Cleopatra\u2019s signature key helps\ntie all the previous emotions into this climatic song like a motif. The music\nlaments, word-painting Cleopatra\u2019s cry \u201cPiangero (I shall weep)\u201d and creating a\nperfect artist challenge with breath control, embellishment notes, and\nvirtuosity. When Cleopatra reaches the B\nsection, the music quickly wraps into Allegro and the relative minor key, C#\nminor. The meter also changes into cut-time and the bars is more rhythmic and\nmelismatic. In this B section Cleopatra claims \u201cher ghost will haunt Tolomeo.\u201d2 and speaks of her revenge before suddenly\nreturning back into her lament \u201cPiangero (I shall weep)\u201d with the return of the\nA section.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Handel\u2019s\nPiangero la sorte mia<\/em> from Giulio Cesare in Egitto <\/em>successfully incorporates\nmany different structural and textural aspects into a beautiful compositionthat stays true to the original idea. The\nessence of the beauty of music is better appreciated when we look at the\ncomposer, the librettist, the historical background, the storyline of the opera\nof which the aria belongs as well as the structure and characteristics of the\nopera and the aria itself. ANNOTATE\nBIBLOGRAPHY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Dean,\nWinton; Knapp, John Merril. Handel\u2019s\nOperas: 1704-1726<\/em>, Oxford: Claredon Press, 1987. Hardcover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This volume has a chapter devoted completely to Giulio Cesare\nin Egitto, offering a full synopsis, study of the libretto, full discussions of\nthe music, the performance history, and a comparison of the different versions\nof the opera. As well, there are several general chapters on the historical and\nstylistic context of Handel’s operatic career up to 1726, and a number of\nAppendices including a list of performances during Handel’s life and the\nlocation of librettos, Handel’s borrowings, Handel’s singers, and modern stage\nproductions up to the end of 1993.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Meynell, Hugo. The Art of Handel\u2019s Operas<\/em>,\nLewiston\/Queenston: Edward Mellen Press, 1986. Hardcover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This volume contains information on Handel’s operas and how\nthey contribute and changed the opera tradition in late 18th century, this also\ncontains detailed discussions on Handel’s work between 1705 and 1741. Under the\nchapter \u201cFull Maturity\u201d we are given a full synopsis of Giulio Cesare in Egitto<\/em> with details given to instrumental\naccompaniment and comparisons between the arias and the arias of earlier works\nby Handel. Contains a detailed timeline of Handel\u2019s Operas, Librettists, and\nSingers start in 1705 and ending in 1741.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Monson, Craig. \u201c\u2018Giulio Cesare in Egitto\u2019<\/em>: From Sartorio\n(1677) to Handel (1724)\u201d in Music &\nLetters<\/em>, Vol. 66 No. 4, pages 313-343, Oxford University Press October,\n1985. JSTOR Journal Article<\/p>\n\n\n\n This Journal Article is considered a manuscript study and\ngive historical background on what most likely inspired the storyline and plot\nof Giulio Cesare in Egitto<\/em>. Handel\u2019s\nLibrettist, Haym, revised Bussani’s Giulio\nCesare<\/em> and created the much loved Giulio\nCesare in Egitto<\/em>. Music and Letters<\/em>,\nwhere this Journal Article has been taken, has been established as the leading\nBritish journal of musical scholarship, covering all fields of musical enquiry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dean, Winton. \u201cHandel’s\n‘Giulio Cesare’\u201d in The Musical Times, Vol. 104, No. 1444, pages 402-404,\nMusical Times Publications Ltd. June, 1963. JSTOR Journal Article<\/p>\n\n\n\n This Journal Article The\nMusical Times is the oldest\ncontinuously-published music journal in the world, founded in 1844. It explores\nthe emotion and feel of the different pieces within Giulio\nCesare in Egitto<\/em> and some musical characteristic of each piece.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hicks, Anthony., \u201cGiulio Cesare in\nEgitto (ii)\u201d Volume Grove Music Online – The New Grove Dictionary of Opera,\nissue Published in print December 1992, Published online January 2001 | e-ISBN:\n9781561592630, Oxford Music Index http:\/\/oxfordindex.oup.com\/view\/10.1093\/gmo\/9781561592630.article.O004424<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Reference to Guilio Cesare in Egitto\nby Handel, a libretto by Nicola francesco Haym adapted from Bussani\u2019s Giulio\nCesare in Egitto (1677).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Steen, Michael. The Lives & Times of Great Composers, <\/em>Icon Books Ltd. March 30,\n2010. Hardcover An informative book on composer\u2019s\npersonal lives and the historical events that happen in the time they lived and\nan interesting read. [1]<\/a> Monson, Craig. \u201c\u2018Giulio Cesare in Egitto\u2019<\/em>: From Sartorio\n(1677) to Handel (1724)\u201d in Music &\nLetters<\/em>, Vol. 66 No. 4, page 313<\/p>\n\n\n\n [2]<\/a> Meynell, Hugo. The Art\nof Handel\u2019s Operas<\/em>, page xvi<\/p>\n\n\n\n [3]<\/a> Steen, Michael. The\nLives & Times of Great Composers, <\/em>Icon Books Ltd. Page 84<\/p>\n\n\n\n [4]<\/a> Dean, Winton; Knapp, John Merril. Handel\u2019s Operas: 1704-1726<\/em>, page 500<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Operatic Arias in the Baroque era were songs that challenged the singer in areas of breath control, affekt, virtuosity, and ornamentation. Although all arias in the Baroque era have at least one of these musical characteristics, composers would sometimes take away from the beauty of the music to create a song to show off the singer\u2019s skill. This is not the case in Handel\u2019s Piangero la sorte mia<\/em> from Giulio Cesare in Egitto.<\/em> Not only does this song challenge the singer, it stays true to the original idea even within the melismatic passages and emotion of the piece. To understand the essence of the beauty of an aria, it is important also to look at the composer, the librettist, the historical background, the storyline of the opera of which the aria belongs as well as the structure and characteristics of the opera and the aria itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\nHandel revived Giulio Cesare with various changes three times during his\nlifetime, starting in 1725, then again 1730, and lastly in 1732. Exact dates as\nto when this Opera was composed are also unknown, but it is thought to be in\n1723. One historian mentions that \u201cHandel probably began the composition in the\nearly summer of 1723. He forgot to date it exactly; the words anno 1723 in\npencil seem to have been added later.\u201d[4]<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\nIn the early Baroque is was popular to go see Operas in languages you did not\nknow, thus Handel set the music of Giulio Cesare to Italian words even though\nhe was in an England. Words are poetic of Piangero la sorte mia: Pianger\u00f2 la\nsorte mia s\u00ec crudele e tanto ria finch\u00e9 vita in petto avr\u00f2. Ma poi morta\nd’ogn’intorno il tiranno e notte e giorno fatta spettro agiter\u00f2. Which roughly\ntranslate to: I shall weep over my fate cruel so long as there remains life in\nmy chest. But once I have perished, I shall become a ghost and torment the\ntyrant from all directions, day and night. The chose of words creates a strong\nimage of pain and suffering \u201cI shall weep\u201d and then that of desired vengeance\n\u201ctorment the tyrant\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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