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{{Short description|Opening aria from George Frideric Handel's Serse}} | |||
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} | |||
{{More citations needed|date=April 2021}} | |||
"'''{{Lang|it|Ombra mai fu|italic=no}}'''" ("Never was a shade…"), also known as "'''Largo from ''Xerxes'''''" or "'''Handel's Largo'''", is the opening ] from the ] '']'' (1738) by ]. | |||
==Context== | |||
The title, which translates from the ] as ''Never has there been a shade'', is the first aria of the opera. It is sung by the main character, Serse (or "]"), in praise of a tree's shade as he sits underneath it. It is commonly known as Handel's "Largo", although the original tempo was larghetto. | |||
{{Listen|type=music|title="Frondi tenere e belle ... Ombra mai fu"|filename=Enrico Caruso, George Frideric Handel, Ombra mai fu (Serse).ogg|description=], 1920 (sung in the ] register)}} | |||
⚫ | The opera was a commercial failure, lasting only five performances in London after its premiere. In the 19th century, however, the aria was rediscovered and became one of Handel's best-known pieces. Handel adapted the aria from the setting by ], who, in turn, adapted it from the setting by ]. All three composers had produced settings of the same opera ] by ]. | ||
==Music== | |||
⚫ | The opera was a commercial failure, lasting only five performances in |
||
Originally composed to be sung by a soprano ] (and typically sung in modern performances of ''Serse'' by a ], ] or a ]; sometimes even by a ] or high ] an ] below),<ref>''Xerse oder der verliebte König'' ed. O Hagen (Peters 1924) gives the title role as "Tenor" and as late as 1962 it was so sung by Luigi Alva, according to ]</ref> it has been arranged for other ]s and instruments, including solo organ, solo piano, violin or cello and piano, and string ensembles, often under the title "Largo from ''Xerxes''" or (as in Thornton Wilder's '']'') simply "Handel's Largo", although the original tempo is marked '']''. | |||
In the opera, the aria is preceded by a short '']'' of 9 ], setting the scene ("Frondi tenere e belle"). The aria itself is also short; it consists of 52 bars and typically lasts three to four minutes. | |||
==Verses== | |||
{{Image frame|content=<score>\new Staff \with { \remove "Time_signature_engraver" } { \clef treble \key f \major c'_"Range" (f'')}</score>}} | |||
⚫ | |||
The ] is for a ]: first and second ]s, ], and basses. The ] is ], the ] is ]. The ] covers ] with a ] from F<sub>4</sub> to F<sub>5</sub>. | |||
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⚫ | |||
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==Libretto== | |||
⚫ | |||
] | |||
⚫ | |||
The title translates from the Italian as "Never was a shade". It is sung by the main character, ] of Persia, admiring the shade of a ]. | |||
: dear and loving, | |||
: or more gentle. | |||
<poem lang="it" style="float:left;"> | |||
⚫ | ==References |
||
Frondi tenere e belle | |||
* | |||
del mio platano amato | |||
* | |||
per voi risplenda il fato. | |||
* {{IMSLP2|id=Ombra_mai_fu_%28Handel%2C_George_Frideric%29|cname=Ombra mai fu}} | |||
Tuoni, lampi, e procelle | |||
non v'oltraggino mai la cara pace, | |||
né giunga a profanarvi austro rapace. | |||
⚫ | Ombra mai fu | ||
⚫ | ] | ||
⚫ | di vegetabile, | ||
⚫ | ] | ||
⚫ | cara ed amabile, | ||
⚫ | soave più.</poem> | ||
<poem style="margin-left:2em; float:left;"> | |||
Tender and beautiful fronds | |||
of my beloved plane tree, | |||
let Fate smile upon you. | |||
May thunder, lightning, and storms | |||
never disturb your dear peace, | |||
nor may you by blowing winds be profaned. | |||
⚫ | Never was a shade | ||
{{opera-stub}} | |||
⚫ | of any plant | ||
dearer and more lovely, | |||
or more sweet.</poem>{{Clear|left}} | |||
Because the piece is often sung out of the context of the opera there exist numerous ] both secular and sacred<ref>"Father in heav'n, Thy children hear...."(The Sunday Album of Sacred Songs (pp.46-47) (London: Bayley & Ferguson, ca.1911); "Holy art Thou" (The Ambrose Edition of Church Music, No.57, arr. for chorus by 'Leigh Kingsmill' pseudonym of Alfred William Phillips, 1844-1936, | |||
] | |||
London: Ambrose Abbott & Co., n.d.); &c</ref> as well as paraphrases and translations. An <!-- amusing --> example of the latter is "Beneath these leafy trees sweet peace receives me" from the chapter entitled "The ]" in ''Functional Lessons in Singing''.<ref>Ivan Trusler and Walter Ehret: ''Functional Lessons in Singing'' (1960, 2nd ed. 1972, Prentice-hall New Jersey)</ref> | |||
==Media and film== | |||
On 24 December 1906, ], a Canadian inventor and radio pioneer, broadcast the first ] radio program, which started with a phonograph record of "{{Lang|it|Ombra mai fu|italic=no}}".<ref>{{cite book| last=Collins| first=Ace| title=Stories Behind the Best-loved Songs of Christmas| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MbCaYq9d9YcC&q=holy+night| location=Grand Rapids, Michigan| publisher=Zondervan| pages=137–138| year=2010| isbn=978-0-310-87387-7}}</ref><ref>{{cite book| url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.b4540711;view=1up;seq=167| title=Builder of Tomorrows| first=Helen| last=Fessenden| year=1940| pages=153–154| publisher=Coward-McCann| location=New York| access-date=25 January 2020}}</ref> | |||
A 1980s electronic mix instrumental version of the aria can be heard in the cherry blossom viewing scene and forms a central part of ]'s 1983 film '']''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Salazar|first=David |url=https://operawire.com/opera-meets-film-how-kon-ichikawas-use-of-ombra-mai-fu-explores-theme-in-the-makioka-sisters/ |title=Opera Meets Film: How Kon Ichikawa's Use of 'Ombra Mai Fu' Explores Theme in 'The Makioka Sisters'|work=OperaWire |date=18 June 2020|access-date=19 September 2020}}</ref> | |||
The song is also used in the Stephen Frears film '']'' (1989) during a private performance in an aristocratic salon. The song was performed by the Portuguese soloist, Paulo Abel do Nascimiento. | |||
In the 1995 BBC adaptation of Jane Austen's '']'', the character ] (played by ]) plays and sings the song (though rendered in English as "Slumber, dear maid") during a critical scene at the Netherfield Ball. | |||
The song plays a prominent role in ]'s 2017 film '']'', in which Marina, a ] woman and singer, performs the aria before an audience towards the end of the film. <ref>{{cite web | url=https://operawire.com/opera-meets-film-ombra-mai-fu-as-a-call-for-respect-in-a-fantastic-woman/ | title=Opera Meets Film: 'Ombra Mai Fu' as a Call for Respect in 'A Fantastic Woman' | date=15 March 2018 }}</ref> <ref>{{cite web | url=https://tiff.net/events/a-fantastic-woman | title=A Fantastic Woman }}</ref> | |||
The song is played during the end credits of the 2023 mystery thriller film '']'', performed by ] and Edward Underhill. | |||
The song plays during the closing scenes of the 2023 Christmas comedy-drama film '']'', as Mr Hunham packs up his room. | |||
⚫ | ==References== | ||
{{Reflist}} | |||
==External links== | |||
* {{ChoralWiki|Ombra mai fu (George Frideric Handel)|"Ombra mai fu"|prep=of}} | |||
* {{IMSLP|work=Serse (Xerxes), HWV 40 (Handel, George Frideric)|cname="Ombra mai fu"}} | |||
* at The Aria Database | |||
{{George Frideric Handel}} | |||
{{Portal bar|Opera}} | |||
{{Authority control}} | |||
⚫ | ] | ||
] | |||
] | |||
⚫ | ] | ||
] |
Latest revision as of 00:01, 13 May 2024
Opening aria from George Frideric Handel's Serse
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Ombra mai fu" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (April 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
"Ombra mai fu" ("Never was a shade…"), also known as "Largo from Xerxes" or "Handel's Largo", is the opening aria from the opera Serse (1738) by George Frideric Handel.
Context
"Frondi tenere e belle ... Ombra mai fu" Enrico Caruso, 1920 (sung in the tenor register)Problems playing this file? See media help.
The opera was a commercial failure, lasting only five performances in London after its premiere. In the 19th century, however, the aria was rediscovered and became one of Handel's best-known pieces. Handel adapted the aria from the setting by Giovanni Bononcini, who, in turn, adapted it from the setting by Francesco Cavalli. All three composers had produced settings of the same opera libretto by Nicolò Minato.
Music
Originally composed to be sung by a soprano castrato (and typically sung in modern performances of Serse by a countertenor, contralto or a mezzo-soprano; sometimes even by a tenor or high baritone an octave below), it has been arranged for other voice types and instruments, including solo organ, solo piano, violin or cello and piano, and string ensembles, often under the title "Largo from Xerxes" or (as in Thornton Wilder's Our Town) simply "Handel's Largo", although the original tempo is marked larghetto.
In the opera, the aria is preceded by a short recitativo accompagnato of 9 bars, setting the scene ("Frondi tenere e belle"). The aria itself is also short; it consists of 52 bars and typically lasts three to four minutes.
The instrumentation is for a string section: first and second violins, viola, and basses. The key signature is F major, the time signature is 3/4 time. The vocal range covers C4 to F5 with a tessitura from F4 to F5.
Libretto
The title translates from the Italian as "Never was a shade". It is sung by the main character, Xerxes I of Persia, admiring the shade of a plane tree.
Frondi tenere e belle
del mio platano amato
per voi risplenda il fato.
Tuoni, lampi, e procelle
non v'oltraggino mai la cara pace,
né giunga a profanarvi austro rapace.
Ombra mai fu
di vegetabile,
cara ed amabile,
soave più.
Tender and beautiful fronds
of my beloved plane tree,
let Fate smile upon you.
May thunder, lightning, and storms
never disturb your dear peace,
nor may you by blowing winds be profaned.
Never was a shade
of any plant
dearer and more lovely,
or more sweet.
Because the piece is often sung out of the context of the opera there exist numerous contrafacta both secular and sacred as well as paraphrases and translations. An example of the latter is "Beneath these leafy trees sweet peace receives me" from the chapter entitled "The EE vowel" in Functional Lessons in Singing.
Media and film
On 24 December 1906, Reginald Fessenden, a Canadian inventor and radio pioneer, broadcast the first AM radio program, which started with a phonograph record of "Ombra mai fu".
A 1980s electronic mix instrumental version of the aria can be heard in the cherry blossom viewing scene and forms a central part of Kon Ichikawa's 1983 film The Makioka Sisters.
The song is also used in the Stephen Frears film Dangerous Liaisons (1989) during a private performance in an aristocratic salon. The song was performed by the Portuguese soloist, Paulo Abel do Nascimiento.
In the 1995 BBC adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, the character Mary Bennet (played by Lucy Briers) plays and sings the song (though rendered in English as "Slumber, dear maid") during a critical scene at the Netherfield Ball.
The song plays a prominent role in Sebastián Lelio's 2017 film A Fantastic Woman, in which Marina, a transgender woman and singer, performs the aria before an audience towards the end of the film.
The song is played during the end credits of the 2023 mystery thriller film The Tutor, performed by Alexander Bornstein and Edward Underhill.
The song plays during the closing scenes of the 2023 Christmas comedy-drama film The Holdovers, as Mr Hunham packs up his room.
References
- Xerse oder der verliebte König ed. O Hagen (Peters 1924) gives the title role as "Tenor" and as late as 1962 it was so sung by Luigi Alva, according to Serse#Performance history
- "Father in heav'n, Thy children hear...."(The Sunday Album of Sacred Songs (pp.46-47) (London: Bayley & Ferguson, ca.1911); "Holy art Thou" (The Ambrose Edition of Church Music, No.57, arr. for chorus by 'Leigh Kingsmill' pseudonym of Alfred William Phillips, 1844-1936, London: Ambrose Abbott & Co., n.d.); &c
- Ivan Trusler and Walter Ehret: Functional Lessons in Singing (1960, 2nd ed. 1972, Prentice-hall New Jersey)
- Collins, Ace (2010). Stories Behind the Best-loved Songs of Christmas. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan. pp. 137–138. ISBN 978-0-310-87387-7.
- Fessenden, Helen (1940). Builder of Tomorrows. New York: Coward-McCann. pp. 153–154. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
- Salazar, David (18 June 2020). "Opera Meets Film: How Kon Ichikawa's Use of 'Ombra Mai Fu' Explores Theme in 'The Makioka Sisters'". OperaWire. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
- "Opera Meets Film: 'Ombra Mai Fu' as a Call for Respect in 'A Fantastic Woman'". 15 March 2018.
- "A Fantastic Woman".
External links
- Free scores of "Ombra mai fu" in the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)
- "Ombra mai fu": Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
- "Ombra mai fu" at The Aria Database