Author: George Frideric Handel
Publisher:
Published: 2012-07-02
Total Pages: 74
ISBN-13: 9781478122517
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Containing 20 soprano arias from Handel's operas and oratorios, all transposed to be performed at baroque pitch when accompanied by a piano tuned to modern concert pitch.Now included are: Angels, ever bright and fair; Bel piacere; Care selve; Come and trip it; Endless pleasure; Here amid the shady woods; How beautiful are the feet; If God be with us; I know that my Redeemer liveth; Lascia ch'io pianga; Let the bright Seraphim; Mio caro bene; Non disperar; Oh! had I Jubal's lyre; O Sleep, why dost thou leave me; Piangero la sorte mia; Tornami a vagheggiar; Un cenno leggiadretto; V'adoro, pupile; Voi mi dite.These arias, which have been transposed and revised from the material available on the Schubertline.co.uk website by the editor, John Nicholson, are presented here a semitone lower than Handel's original keys. In performance they will sound, as Handel probably intended them to sound - at what is nowadays called 'modern baroque pitch' (A=415Hz), rather than modern concert pitch (A=440Hz).There was no universal standard of pitch in the 18th century: a tuning fork used by Handel from 1740 is set to A=422.5Hz, although another from 1780 is almost a semitone lower still. As Handel did not intend his music to be sung at modern concert pitch, the transpositions available in this volume will allow singers to rehearse at baroque pitch when accompanied by a modern piano.
