This edition was prepared by Michael Gibson — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Acis and Galatea, HWV 49
Staff Notation • Secular, Operas
Preview
0
0
4 editions of this piece
Different typesettings and voicings of the same work. This page shows the main edition; the others are below.
Subscribed as
Want Sunday picks sent to another address too?
Free weekly email
Your choir should not be left out in what's trending
Sunday mass selections, psalms, and trending songs in your area — straight to your inbox.
Acis and Galatea, HWV 49 by George Fredrick Handel — Lyrics
Recit:
I rage, I rage, I melt, I burn!
The feeble god has stabbed me to the heart.
Thou trusty pine, prop of my godlike steps,
I lay thee by!
Bring me a hundred reeds of decent growth,
to make a pipe for my capacious mouth;
in soft enchanting accents
let me breathe sweet Galatea’s beauty, and my love.
Read full lyrics
About Acis and Galatea, HWV 49
This dramatic excerpt from Handel's opera Acis and Galatea features a vigorous SATTB setting that captures the text's passionate unfolding. The opening recitative powerfully conveys Polyphemus's turbulent emotions, his declaration of love for Galatea and his desire to woo her with music. This gives way to a famous aria, sung here by the full choir, which paints a vivid, contrasting picture of the nymph herself – both alluring and untamable. The music shifts from recitative's dramatic declamation to the aria's more lyrical, folk-like character, celebrating Galatea's beauty and spirit with infectious energy. The text's vivid imagery of nature and intense feeling is brought to life through Handel's masterful choral writing.
