Lascia ch'io pianga
Lascia ch'io pianga is a soprano aria by composer George Frideric Handel which has become a popular concert piece. The melody for the song began its life as an Asian dance in his 1705 opera Almira.[1] As an aria the piece was first used in Handel's 1707 oratorio Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno; albeit with a different text and name, "Lascia la spina".[2] Handel later recycled the work for his 1711 opera Rinaldo, giving the aria to the character Almirena (portrayed by soprano Isabella Girardeau in the opera's premiere) in Act II. Rinaldo was a major triumph for Handel, and it is with this work that the aria is chiefly associated. The aria has been recorded by numerous artists on record and CD, and is featured in several films including Farinelli,[3] All Things Fair by Bo Widerberg,[4] L.I.E. by Michael Cuesta and Antichrist by Lars von Trier.[5]
The piano melody can be heard in the introduction and coda to Tsuki Amano's song Zero no Chōritsu.[6]
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
Lascia ch'io pianga |
Let me weep |
References
- ^ Dean and Knapp, pp.176–78
- ^ Hicks, Anthony. "Rinaldo". Oxford Music Online. Retrieved 28 January 2011.(subscription required)
- ^ Haynes, Bruce, The end of early music, Oxford University Press US, 2007, p. 25. ISBN 0-19-518987-6
- ^ Lærerinden – Musikstycken (in Swedish). Swedish Film Institute. Retrieved on 28 July 2008.
- ^ Antichrist Pressbook (PDF). Artificial Eye. Retrieved on 28 July 2009.
- ^ Zero no Chōritsu. 零Wiki Retrieved on 20 February 2010
Bibliography
- Dean, Winton and Knapp, J Merrill (1995). Handel's operas: 1704–1726. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-81644-8.
{{cite book}}: Check|isbn=value: length (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) Originally published in 1987