Tamerlano

Dramma per musica in tre atti

HWV 18
German Translation by Peter Brenner
Vocal Score based on the Urtext of the Halle Handel Edition by M. Rot
BA 4052a



Preface              Contents

Preface

Handel began the composition of Tamerlano, one of the supreme masterpieces of Baroque opera seria, on 3rd July 1724. The libretto was an adaptation by Nicola Haym of Agostino Piovene's Tamerlano, Tragedia per musica, which had been set to music by Francesco Gasparini, and performed in Venice in 1711. When Handel dated the last page of the autograph on 23rd July the work appeared to be complete; but during the three months which passed before the premiere at the King's Theatre in the Haymarket on 31 October, so many alterations and revisions were made that a fresh performing-score had to be written, very late in the proceedings, to replace an earlier one which is now lost.
The first reason for revision was a change in the cast: the role of Irene was originally conceived for a soprano, then much of it had to be rewritten for the contralto Anna Dotti, who sang it in the first performance. The original soprano versions of her first two arias, "Dal crudel che m'ha tradita" (no. 10) and "Par che mi nasca in seno" (no. 17), given as Appendixes (5) and (8) in the full score in the Hallische Handel-Ausgabe (volume II/15), are printed in this vocal score on pp. 274-7 and 278-281. A much more radical revision was occasioned by the arrival in London in September 1724 of the tenor Francesco Borosini, who had been engaged to sing Bajazet. He must have brought with him the libretto and a manuscript score of a second setting of the Tamerlano story, Il Bajazet, Dramma per musica, which Gasparini had composed for Reggio Emilia in 1719, and in which Borosini had sung Bajazet. For this version the original Piovene libretto had been substantially rewritten by Ippolito Zanella and other writers, although there is evidence that the magnificent scene of Bajazet's death, which is the most striking improvement on the earlier libretto, was inspired by Borosini himself. Major alterations were now made to Handel's opera, as he grafted parts of the 1719 libretto on to Haym's original adaptation of Piovene, and composed a lot of new music, especially for the beginning of Act I. and the end of Act III; furthermore, in some places in movements already written for Bajazet he revised the tessitura of the voice part, because having now heard Borosini sing, he realised that some of the notes he had written lay too high for him: two movements were transposed, while significant changes were made in the aria no. 19, "A suoi piedi", and the Terzetto, no. 22. In the present edition the original notes are given in small type in these two movements, since singers who have a suitable range may find them musically preferable.
The HHA score gives full details of the complex history of the opera's gestation, and in its Appendix will be found all the music ultimately rejected by the composer as he perfected his masterpiece. Handel was particularly concerned to make the conclusion of Act III more concentrated and dramatic: in the first draft, based on Piovene's libretto, Bajazet's death took place off stage and was merely reported, and this event was followed by a sequence of movements for the other characters. The new material, beginning at Scene 9, with a climax in the Accompagnato no. 38, (inspired by the 1719 libretto, and in part by Gasparini's setting), was then inserted, but at first the original concluding movements were retained. At a late stage in the preparations for performance, Handel removed them, and replaced them with the recitative "Barbaro! Or manca solo", which leads directly to the final Coro; the dramatic effectiveness of this is obvious - Bajazet's death-scene in effect ends the opera, and anything but a brief conclusion for the other characters would be an anticlimax. As part of this shortening process Handel also cut a duet for Tamerlano and Irene ("Vedrò ch'un dì") which originally followed the recitative "Signor, fra tante cure" in Act III Scene 8; it is printed as Appendix (17) in the HHA score, and is given here on pp. 283-7.
Tamerlano was first performed on 31st October 1724, with the following cast:
Tamerlano      Andrea Pacini (alto castrato)
Andronico      Francesco Bernardi, called Senesino (mezzosoprano castrato)
Bajazet      Francesco Borosini (tenor)
Leone      Giuseppe Boschi (bass)
Asteria      Francesca Cuzzoni (soprano)
Irene      Anna Dotti (contralto)
There were 12 performances between 31 October 1724 and 8 May 1725. Handel revived the opera only once, in 1731, for three performances. For this revival he marked in the performing-score a number of cuts in the recitatives, which are reproduced in the present edition; there is more recitative in Tamerlano than in any other Handel opera. The footnotes, which derive from an authentic source (one of the contemporary copies), show how to join up the sections when the cuts are made. Handel also cut the Terzetto, no. 22, and added a recitative and aria for Leone (sung by Antonio Montagana) in Act III scene 7; these are given as Appendix (26) in the HHA score, and printed on pp. 287-295 of the vocal score.

The German Translation

The German translation reproduces the literal meaning of the original in intelligible and singable German. It leaves the note-values unchanged in the self-contained numbers and only makes alterations in the recitatives where necessitated by the immediacy and clarity of the expression. All repeated words have been precisely observed. Careful attention has been paid to rhymes, which of course have formative significance in the musical numbers. The original rhyme scheme has been retained, not only the normal abab pattern, but also the more complex aab ccb (in nos. 7, 9, 10, 24, 27, 29, 30 and 35) and abc abc (nos. 16, 17, 25 and 26). Pains have also been taken to match the open Italian vowels in coloratura passages. In Italian, the same characters can refer to each other now in the second person plural, now in the more intimate second person singular. The German translation follows the original as the change in form of address is warranted by the action on stage. One exception is found in Act 3, scene 1, when Asteria alternately uses the singular and the plural to address her father. In this case we have retained the formal form of address throughout. Peter Brenner
(Translation by J. Bradford Robinson)

Contents

Ouverture
ATTO PRIMO
Scena I
1. Sinfonia
Recitativo Esci, esci, o Signore (Andronico)
2. Sinfonia

Recitativo Prence, lo so (Bajazet, Andronico)
3. Aria Forte e lieto (Bajazet)

Scena II
Recitativo Non si perda di vista il disperato (Andronico, Tamerlano)
4. Aria Vuò dar pace (Tamerlano)

Scena III
Recitative Il Tartaro ama Asteria (Andronico)
5. Aria Bella Asteria (Andronico)

Scena IV
Recitativo Il fortunato Andronico (Asteria, Tamerlano)
6. Aria Dammi pace (Tamerlano)

Scena V
Recitativo Serve Asteria di prezzo (Asteria)
7. Aria S'ei non mi vuol amar (Asteria)

Scena VI
Recitativo Non ascolto più nulla (Bajazet, Andronico, Asteria)
8. Aria Ciel e terra (Bajazet)

Scena VII
Recitativo Asteria, non parlate? (Andronico, Asteria)
9. Aria Deh, lasciatemi (Asteria)

Scena VIII
Recitativo Così la sposa il Tamerlano accoglie? (Irene, Leone, Andronico)
10. Aria Dal crudel che m'ha tradita (Irene)

Scena IX
11. Accompagnato Chi vide mai (Andronico)
12. Aria Benchè mi sprezzi (Andronico)


ATTO SECONDO

Scena I
Recitativo Amico, tengo un testimon fedele (Tamerlano, Andronico)
13. Aria Bella gara (Tamerlano)

Scena II
Recitativo Qui l'infedel! (Asteria, Andronico)
14. Aria Non è più tempo (Asteria)

Scena III
15. Accompagnato Ah no! dove trascorri (Andronico)
16. Aria Cerco in vano (Andronico)

Scena IV
Recitativo Signor, vergine illustre (Leone, Tamerlano, Irene)

Scena V
Recitativo Senti, chiunque tu sia (Asteria, Irene)

Scena VI
Recitativo Gran cose espone Asteria (Irene, Leone)
17. Aria Par che mi nasca in seno (Irene)
Recitativo Veggio da questi amori (Leone)
18. Aria Amor dà guerra e pace (Leone)

Scena VII
Recitativo Dov'è mia figlia, Andronico? (Bajazet, Andronico)
19. Aria A suoi piedi (Bajazet)

Scena VIII
Recitativo Se Asteria mi trad'sce (Andronico)
20. Aria Più d'una tigre altero (Andronico)

Scena IX

Recitativo Al soglio, o bella (Tamerlano, Asteria, Bajazet, Andronico)

Scena X
21. Recitativo ed Accompagnato E per lei vengo (Irene, Asteria, Tamerlano, Bajazet, Andronico)

22. Terzetto Voglio strage (Asteria, Tamerlano, Bajazet)
Recitativo Padre, dimmi, son più l'indegna (Asteria)
23. Arietta No, no, il tuo sdegno (Bajazet)
Recitativo Andronico, son più l'infida amante? (Asteria)
24. Arietta No, che del tuo gran cor (Andronico)
Recitativo Amica, son quella superba donna? (Asteria)
25. Arietta No, che sei tanto costante (Irene)
Recitativo Sì, sì, son vendicata (Asteria)
26 Aria Se potessi un di placare (Asteria)
ATTO TERZO

Scena I
Recitativo Figlia, siam rei (Bajazet, Asteria)
27. Aria Cor di padre (Asteria)

Scena II
Recitativo Andronico, il mio amore (Tamerlano, Andronico, Asteria)

Scena III
Recitativo Come? Asteria, tu a piè del Tamerlano? (Bajazet, Tamerlano, Andronico)
28. Aria A dispetto (Tamerlano)

Scena IV
Recitativo Figlia, con atto vil (Bajazet, Asteria, Andronico)

Scena V
Recitativo Asteria, allor che andaste (Andronico, Asteria, Leone)
29. Duetto Vivo in te (Asteria, Andronico)

Scena VI
Recitativo Reina, è vuoto il trono (Leone, Irene)
30. Aria Crudel più non son io (Irene)

Scena VII
Recitativo Eccoti, Bajazete (Tamerlano, Bajazet, Andronico)
31. Aria Se non mi rendi (Andronico)

Scena VIII
Recitativo Eccomi, che si chiede? (Asteria, Tamerlano, Bajazet, Irene)
32. Accompagnato Padre-, amante (Asteria)
33. Arioso e Recitativo Folle sei (Asteria)
34. Accompagnato E il soffrirete (Bajazet)
35. Aria Empio, per farti guerra (Bajazet)
Recitativo Signor, fra tante cure (Irene, Tamerlano)

Scena IX
Recitativo Vieni, Asteria (Leone, Andronico, Tamerlano, Asteria)

Scena X
Recitativo Oh per me lieto, avventuroso giorno (Bajazet, Tamerlano)
36. Accompagnato e Recitativo Fremi, minaccia (Bajazet)
37. Arioso Figlia mia, non pianger, no (Bajazet)
38. Accompagnato Tu, spietato (Bajazet)

Scena Ultima
Recitativo Barbaro! or manca solo (Asteria, Tamerlano, Andronico)
39. Coro D'atra notte (Irene, Andronico, Tamerlano, Leone)


APPENDICE / APPENDIX

(5) Aria Dal crudel (Irene), First version for soprano

(8) Aria Par che mi nasca (Irene), First version for soprano

(17) Duetto Vedrò ch'un dì (Irene, Tamerlano) Originally composed for Act III, Scene 8, cut before the first performance

(26) Recitativo Principessa infelice (Leone) ed Aria Nel mondo e nell'abisso (Leone),
composed for the performance in 1731