La Lucrezia , is an eloquent musical portrait of the ravished Roman heroine in her final moments, a companion, in its tragic poignancy, to those paintings of Lucretia by artists like Reni and Guercino so popular with Baroque patrons and collectors.
One of the best, however, was probably completed after Handelâs return to Germany. Apollo e Dafne or La terra è liberata is almost an opera in itself. The cantataâs effectiveness springs less from mere polish of line and surface than from Handelâs penetrating sense of the realities of feeling that lie beneath the mythological framework. The simple harmonies and cheerful ditties of the sun god, bumptious after strangling the Python, are answered by the gentler, more reserved cast of Daphneâs music as in âArdi adoriâ she meets his advances not so much with anger as with detached remonstrance. The duet âDeh! lascia addolcireâ emphasizes their separateness by the use of glacial flute tones, a different tempo for each of them, and the fact that their voices are never allowed to blend.Apolloâs final pursuit is brilliantly realized in an air with concerto grosso accompaniment, which dissolves into alarmed recitative as Daphne is transformed into the laurel he ultimately hails in a dignified lament.
The principal soloist at the first performances of many of Handelâs Roman cantatas was the soprano Margherita Durastanti. In 1700, aged only fourteen, she had made her debut as a singer for the opera-mad Duke Ferdinando Carlo of Mantua, remaining under his patronage until 1704, when the pressures of money and politics forced him to rein in his theatrical enthusiasm. By January 1707 she had arrived in Rome with her mother as chaperone and was installed as one of Marchese Ruspoliâs singers. Durastanti was evidently an able linguist (her farewell to the London stage was in English) and Handel composed cantatas for her in Spanish and French. More important, she was the first singer we know of whose individual vocal qualities were directly related to the music Handel wrote for her. She was not particularly attractive â a contemporary caricature stresses her jutting âsingerâs chinâ and large breasts â but her evident gifts as a singing actress helped to ensure the success of several of his operas with the London public. The two of them were much in each otherâs company during this Roman spring and summer, and it is not inconceivable that their relationship was more than merely professional, though documents are silent on any such liaison.
In February the pair set off in Ruspoliâs entourage to stay at his villa near the ancient Etruscan town of Cerveteri. It was the end of the stag-hunting season, and Handel himself rode out with the Marchese for a dayâs sport. His newly composed cantata, Diana cacciatrice , was performed that morning, possibly, as has been deduced from the final rousing fanfares, to speed the hunters on their way. A fortnight later Handel (who had been allotted his personal servant) and Durastanti followed Ruspoli to Civitavecchia, principal western port of the Papal States. Here the Marchese had fitted out a brigantine in splendid style as an alternative to the traditional galleys still favoured by the Popeâs naval establishment. Was the cantata Udite il mio consiglio , with its slightly mysterious Arcadian text, meant to offer an elaborate metaphor for this change from oared vessels to sailing ships, especially significant now that pontifical armed forces seemed likely to be dragged into the War of the Spanish Succession? Perhaps so,since its première took place at a banquet thrown by Ruspoli for the civic and military governors of Civitavecchia on 18 March.
In late May the Marchese Ruspoli left Rome once again, this time with his entire household, for the villeggiatura , always a part of the seasonal rhythm of Italian life. Nowadays the summer exodus takes place in August
One of the best, however, was probably completed after Handelâs return to Germany. Apollo e Dafne or La terra è liberata is almost an opera in itself. The cantataâs effectiveness springs less from mere polish of line and surface than from Handelâs penetrating sense of the realities of feeling that lie beneath the mythological framework. The simple harmonies and cheerful ditties of the sun god, bumptious after strangling the Python, are answered by the gentler, more reserved cast of Daphneâs music as in âArdi adoriâ she meets his advances not so much with anger as with detached remonstrance. The duet âDeh! lascia addolcireâ emphasizes their separateness by the use of glacial flute tones, a different tempo for each of them, and the fact that their voices are never allowed to blend.Apolloâs final pursuit is brilliantly realized in an air with concerto grosso accompaniment, which dissolves into alarmed recitative as Daphne is transformed into the laurel he ultimately hails in a dignified lament.
The principal soloist at the first performances of many of Handelâs Roman cantatas was the soprano Margherita Durastanti. In 1700, aged only fourteen, she had made her debut as a singer for the opera-mad Duke Ferdinando Carlo of Mantua, remaining under his patronage until 1704, when the pressures of money and politics forced him to rein in his theatrical enthusiasm. By January 1707 she had arrived in Rome with her mother as chaperone and was installed as one of Marchese Ruspoliâs singers. Durastanti was evidently an able linguist (her farewell to the London stage was in English) and Handel composed cantatas for her in Spanish and French. More important, she was the first singer we know of whose individual vocal qualities were directly related to the music Handel wrote for her. She was not particularly attractive â a contemporary caricature stresses her jutting âsingerâs chinâ and large breasts â but her evident gifts as a singing actress helped to ensure the success of several of his operas with the London public. The two of them were much in each otherâs company during this Roman spring and summer, and it is not inconceivable that their relationship was more than merely professional, though documents are silent on any such liaison.
In February the pair set off in Ruspoliâs entourage to stay at his villa near the ancient Etruscan town of Cerveteri. It was the end of the stag-hunting season, and Handel himself rode out with the Marchese for a dayâs sport. His newly composed cantata, Diana cacciatrice , was performed that morning, possibly, as has been deduced from the final rousing fanfares, to speed the hunters on their way. A fortnight later Handel (who had been allotted his personal servant) and Durastanti followed Ruspoli to Civitavecchia, principal western port of the Papal States. Here the Marchese had fitted out a brigantine in splendid style as an alternative to the traditional galleys still favoured by the Popeâs naval establishment. Was the cantata Udite il mio consiglio , with its slightly mysterious Arcadian text, meant to offer an elaborate metaphor for this change from oared vessels to sailing ships, especially significant now that pontifical armed forces seemed likely to be dragged into the War of the Spanish Succession? Perhaps so,since its première took place at a banquet thrown by Ruspoli for the civic and military governors of Civitavecchia on 18 March.
In late May the Marchese Ruspoli left Rome once again, this time with his entire household, for the villeggiatura , always a part of the seasonal rhythm of Italian life. Nowadays the summer exodus takes place in August
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