Saul (Handel)

George Frideric Handel
Operas Almira (1705) Rodrigo (1707) Florindo (1708) Agrippina (1709) Rinaldo (1711) Il pastor fido (1712) Silla (1713) Teseo (1713) Amadigi di Gaula (1715) Acis and Galatea (1718) Radamisto (1720) Muzio Scevola (1721) Floridante (1721) Ottone (1723) Flavio (1723) Giulio Cesare (1724) Tamerlano (1724) Rodelinda (1725) Scipione (1726) Alessandro (1726) Admeto (1727) Riccardo Primo (1727) Siroe (1728) Tolomeo (1728) Lotario (1729) Partenope (1730) Poro (1731) Ezio (1732) Sosarme (1732) Orlando (1733) Arianna in Creta (1734) Oreste (1734) Ariodante (1735) Alcina (1735) Atalanta (1736) Arminio (1737) Giustino (1737) Berenice (1737) Faramondo (1738) Alessandro Severo (1738) Serse (1738) Giove in Argo (1739) Imeneo (1740) Deidamia (1741) Semele (1744) Alceste (1750) List of operas
Oratorios Il trionfo del tempo e del disinganno (1707) La resurrezione (1708) Brockes Passion (1715) Esther (1718) Deborah (1733) Athalia (1733) Alexander's Feast (1736) Il trionfo del tempo e della verità (1737) Saul (1738) Israel in Egypt (1738) L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato (1740) Messiah (1741) Samson (1741) Semele (1743) Joseph and his Brethren (1743) Hercules (1744) Belshazzar (1744) Occasional Oratorio (1746) Judas Maccabaeus (1746) Joshua (1747) Alexander Balus (1747) Susanna (1748) Solomon (1748) Theodora (1749) The Choice of Hercules (1750) Jephtha (1752) The Triumph of Time and Truth (1757)
Cantatas (partial list) Tra le fiamme (Il consiglio) (1707) Un' alma innamorata (1707) Ero e Leandro (1707) Clori, Tirsi e Fileno (1707) O lucenti, o sereni occhi (1707) Aure soavi e lieti (1707) Allor ch'io dissi addio (1707–08) Del bell'idolo mio (1707–09) Aci, Galatea e Polifemo (1708) Dalla guerra amorosa (1709) Apollo e Dafne (1710) Ode for the Birthday of Queen Anne (1713) Ode for St. Cecilia's Day (1739)
Wikipedia Book

Saul (HWV 53) is an oratorio in three acts written by George Frideric Handel with a libretto by Charles Jennens. Taken from the 1st Book of Samuel, the story of Saul focuses on the first king of Israel’s relationship with his eventual successor, David; one which turns from admiration to envy and hatred, ultimately leading to the downfall of the eponymous monarch. The work, which Handel began in 1738, includes the famous Dead March, a funeral anthem for Saul and his son Jonathan, and some of the composer's most dramatic choral pieces. Saul was first performed at the King’s Theatre in London on January 16, 1739.

Dramatis personae

• Saul (bass)
• Merab (soprano)
• Michal (soprano)
• Jonathan (tenor)
• David (countertenor)
• Samuel (bass)
• High Priest (tenor)
• Witch of Endor (contralto)
• Abner (tenor)
• Amalekite (tenor)
• Doeg (bass)
• Chorus of Israelites

External links

• Libretto for Saul on WikiSource.
• Program notes by Boston Cecilia.
• Full-text libretto online.