O lucenti, o sereni occhi (HWV 144) is a dramatic secular cantata for soprano written by Georg Frideric Handel in 1707. Other catalogues of Handel's music have referred to the work as HG li, 28; (there is no HHA numbering). [1] The title of the cantata translates as "O shining, o serene eyes".
Handel's original manuscript for the cantata has not survived, but a copy in the Santini Collection suggests that the work originated under the patronage of Ruspoli. The work can be dated to the spring or summer of 1707, and Handel reused aspects of the first aria in his opera Rodrigo in the same year.
Even though the work is performed by a female voice, the text does not reveal whether the "voice" is male or female. The first aria relates how beautiful eyes cause the singer to languish and die. The second aria tells how blazing eyes cause the singer both pleasure and pain.
The work is scored for solo soprano and keyboard (with figured bass markings). The cantata contains two recitative-aria pairings. The use of silence (with musical rests) is notable in the work.
A typical performance of the work takes about eight minutes.
The work consists of four movements:
| Movement | Type | Key sig. | Time sig. | Tempo | Bars | Text (Italian) | Text (approx. English) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Recitative | 4 4 | 8 | O lucenti o sereni occhi, luci fatali, ben vi scorgo qual tremoli baleni; che fulmini d'amore presagite crudeli a questo core? | O shining, o serene eyes, fatal lights, I see as trembling lightning flashes; what cruel bolts of love you strike to my heart? | Handel breaks the three syllables of "tre-mo-li" (to tremble) with quaver rests to depict quivering. | ||
| 2 | Aria | A minor | 4 4 | Adagio | 24 | Per voi languisco e moro, luci belle e pur godete. Voi, negandomi ristoro, dispettose m'uccidete. | For you I languish and die, beautiful lights and yet you enjoy. You deny me relief, and spiteful, kill me. | Includes a "Da Capo", "Fine" instruction. Handel depicts pain with a stabbing dotted-rhythm accompaniment. |
| 3 | Recitative | 4 4 | 9 | Messagiero verace, or la guerra bramate, or la tregua vi piace, e per tormento all'alma innamorata siete qua' acri demoni d'averno, e nel ciel di belta lampi, d'inferno. | True messenger, you yearn for war, or you like a truce, and the torment of a loving soul you are like the savage demons of Hell, and in a beautiful heaven, flashes of hell. | |||
| 4 | Aria | E minor | 3 4 | Andante | 71 | In voi, pupille ardenti, ritrovo il mio piacer trovo la pena. Per voi, luci splendenti, quel faretrato amor, il mio dolente cor, stringe in catena. | In your burning eyes I find pleasure and pain. Because of you, bright lights, love, with his arrows, my aching heart is bound in chains. | Includes a "Da Capo", "Fine" instruction. Handel sets "pleasure" with a dissonance and "pain" with extended notes. Musical rests after "chains" ("catena") suggest the musicians are having trouble continuing. |
(Movements do not contain repeat markings unless indicated. The number of bars is the raw number in the manuscript—not including repeat markings. The above is taken from volume 51, starting at page 28, of the Händel-Gesellschaft edition.)
Clori, Tirsi, e Fileno, Cantata a tre, subtitled Cor fedele in vano speri, is a 1707 comic cantata by George Frideric Handel. The subject is a pretty shepherdess who loves two young men, but loses both when they discover her fickleness. Believed lost for many years, the score is the source of arias in some of Handel's later, more celebrated operas.
Dalla guerra amorosa is a secular chamber cantata for either bass or soprano written by Georg Frideric Handel in Italy during 1708–9. Other catalogues of Handel's music have referred to the work as HG l,34;. The title of the cantata roughly translates as "From the war of amorous passion".
The Flute sonata in E minor was composed by George Frideric Handel for flute and basso continuo. The work is also referred to as Opus 1 No. 1b, and was first published in 1732 by Walsh. Other catalogues of Handel's music have referred to the work as HG xxvii,6; and HHA iv/3,10.
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The Oboe sonata in C minor was composed by George Frideric Handel for oboe and basso continuo. The work is also referred to as Opus 1 No. 8, and was first published in 1732 by Walsh. Other catalogues of Handel's music have referred to the work as HG xxvii, 29; and HHA iv/18,32.
The Sonata in G minor was composed by George Frideric Handel for recorder and basso continuo. The work is also referred to as Opus 1 No. 2, and was first published in 1732 by Walsh. Other catalogues of Handel's music have referred to the work as HG xxvii,9; and HHA iv/3,16.
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The Violin sonata in G minor is a work for violin and basso continuo that was originally thought to have been composed by George Frideric Handel. Modern scholars however believe it doubtful that the work was composed by Handel, and have labelled it as "spurious". The work is also referred to as Opus 1 No. 10, and was first published in 1732 by Walsh. Other catalogues of Handel's music have referred to the work as HG xxvii,37; and HHA iv/4,28.
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The Violin sonata in E major is a work for violin and basso continuo that was originally thought to have been composed by George Frideric Handel. Modern scholars however believe it doubtful that the work was composed by Handel, and have labelled it as "spurious". The work was first published in 1730 by Walsh. Other catalogues of Handel's music have referred to the work as HG xxvii,54; and HHA iv/4,55.
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Aure soavi e liete is a Baroque dramatic secular cantata in the key of E-flat major composed by George Frideric Handel in 1707 while he was serving as Kapellmeister to the Ruspoli family in Rome. The author of the text is unknown. Other catalogues of Handel's music have referred to the work as HG l,12. The cantata is scored for solo soprano voice and basso continuo. It is divided into four separate movements with a typical performance lasting approximately seven and a half minutes.
Tra le fiamme (Il consiglio) (HWV 170) is a dramatic secular cantata for soprano and instruments written by George Frideric Handel in 1707. Other catalogues of Handel's music have referred to the work as HG liiB,66; and HHA v/5,55. The title of the cantata translates as "In flames (Counsel)".
George Frideric Handel's Gloria is a sacred solo cantata, a setting of the Gloria, the liturgical part of the Mass, for soprano and strings. Handel may have composed it in Germany before departing for Italy in 1706. The composition was lost for many years and was attributed to Handel again only in 2001.
Allor ch'io dissi addio is a dramatic secular cantata for soprano written by Georg Frideric Handel in 1707–08. Other catalogues of Handel's music have referred to the work as HG l,8. The title of the cantata translates as "Then I said goodbye".
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