The flute in Handel`s vocal works

TRAVERSO
Published Quarterly·:·
ISSN 1041-7494 .:.
The flute in Handel's
vocal works
Editor: Ardal Powell
.:.
Volume 14 .:. Num ber 2
Publisher: Folkers & Powell, Makers of Historical Flutes
from Radamisto, the first opera produced by
the new Royal Academy of Music in 1720,
there are direct references to "suffering" and
"pain:' The flute doubling violin II fills in
rests in the vocal part with two-note figures
suggesting sobbing. In the entire aria the
instrument has only 66 notes, but the effect
is spellbinding. [See Example 1) In
Cleopatra's aria "Pianger6la sorte mia" from
one of Handel's most critically acclaimed
operas, Giulio Cesare (1724), the flute dou­
bling violin I furnishes a modified echo of
violin II. The flute has played only six notes
in a seven-measure phrase, but its contri­
bution to the effect (or even affect) is im­
measurable. [See Example 2 overleaf)
Another aria of griefand despair, the brief
David Lasocki
"Morte, vieni, ma in van ti chiamo, oh
morte" from Riccardo I (1727), features a
"traversa bassa:' apparently only a flute in C
N HIS VOCAL WORKS-OPERAS,
rather than the customary D, perhaps em­
cantatas, oratorios, and other sacred
ployed for its special tone color. Lia Levin,
music-Handel wrote about eighty
who believes that the instrument was
arias and other movements that included
pitched in B b, suggests that it"was employed
the flute. This treasure trove is largely un­
in order to avoid the technical difficulties
known to flutists today. I
LarKO
that the tonality of the movement [F mi­
Handel's opera orchestras
nor) would have caused on the standard
always included oboists-at
:-.:.. I, II
flute:'3 But another aria with flute obbligato
first two, and after 1720
written the same year, "Luci care, addio, posate!"
four-who were occasion­
from
Admeto (1727), is in the same key.
ally called upon to double
Violin I
Levin has observed that "Ten songs deal
on recorder or flute. 2 The
with the subject of love, but with a view of
flutes and oboes generally
Violin II
its difficult aspects, or bemoaning the cru­
do not play together, al­
elty of a beloved:'4 In the aria "Caro amor"
though the aria "Will the
Viola 1~&-==:3"""j~ijlF
from
Il Pastor Fido (1712), the shepherd
Sun Forget to Streak" from
Mirtillo
sings "Dear love, only for moments
Solomon (1749) is scored
p
is
my
soul
left in peace." Flute lIviolin I and
with "Oboe solo. Traversi­
fl
ute
2/violin
II (the violins both piano) play
eri tutti" on the top line to
,
a
beautiful
pastoral
canon over a drone, end­
suggest an Oriental dawn.
FI. r'?hfr~r-c ft-=--=-:~¥4~~] ---'-';;---:-C-lc'f,'-~'C:t
ing
with
some
sighing
figures in thirds and
With a few notable excep­
sixths
before
the
voice
comes in with some
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.
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.
+"'+-+.
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tions later in life, Handel
Voice ~~ . '-__~~~.J.L7· -- ~..•- ''iJ' c.. ': c.. :': : ~'i J;;:-:~-- '-"' 'B
similar
material.
An
aria
ofmixed emotions,
did not give the flute virtuoso
Vln.
I
~--r-=--------rriiffl
send'
from Tamerlano
"Par
che
mi
nasca
in
music, and on paper it can
(1724),
is
a
pastoral
siciliana
in 12/8, with
appear dull. But consider
VIn. 1I
in
the opening
some
striking
syncopations
the context: the orchestral
and
closing
phrases
played
by
the
flute with
sound was predominantly
VIL ItJI§:It'­
::
unison
violins,
perhaps
representing
love, as
strings, often doubled by
well
as
some
contrasting
dotted
figures,
ini­
oboes and bassoons. For
tiallypresented
as
echoes,
perhaps
represent­
one or more special arias
ing pain. In the bright "Nobil core che ben
depicting certain affects or
her
cry
"I
will
lament
my
fate."
Over
a
ama" from Partenope (1730), the flute first
situations, the oboists pulled out their flutes
chaconne-like
descending
bass
doubles
violin I then the voice, in lively
line,
she
sings
and created a haunting tone color, alone or
violinistic
broken-chord figuration. The ref­
G#-B-B,flute/violin
I
play
F#-B-B;
she
con­
doubling the violins. Magic!
erences
to
"noble heart" and "fidelity" are
tinues
down
the
scale
with
E-B-B
balanced
The main association ofthe flute is grief,
by
the
answering
low
B-B
in
violin
II;
then
both
intended
ironically.
bereavement, and pain (especially that of
she
cadences
on
low
E,
overlapping
with
the
Three
times
the flute is associated with
parting from a loved one). Handel often sets
three-note
motive
with
an
octave
leap
(low
eternity. In an aria from the 1713 Te Deum,
the mood through the simplest of means.
In "Troppo sofferse gia questo mio petto" E-E-E) in flute/violin I, answered at once in "We Believe That Thou Shalt Come to be
·
I
PageS
T'R.A.
Our Judge;' against steady eighth notes in
the upper strings the flute is given an open­
ing phrase reminiscent of that in the B mi­
nor sonata, and a truncated version of the
phrase ends the aria. In between, the flute
plays some disjointed, angular phrases. The
text of the aria includes references to
"saints," "ever lasting;' "heritage," and "for
ever:' In another setting of the same aria in
the Te Deum in A major (1724), the voices
are accompanied largely by a duet for flute
and bassoon in many arch-shaped phrases,
presumably representing heaven. In an aria
from the Te Deum in D major (1714) the
violins open with jerky figuration, perhaps
referring to "the sharpness of death," over
which the flute plays a smooth, ascending
melody, immediately afterwards given to
the opening vocal line, "When Thou
Lookest Upon Thee to Deliver Man." These
roles are generally maintained through­
out the aria, with the notable exception of
the ending, where the flute and bass in
parallel motion exchange dotted figures
with the violins.
The plain word "flute" in England still
meant the recorder during Handel's lifetime.
Yet when he set the word in three late arias
he chose the transverse flute to depict the
instrument. In the first instance, the choice
is understandable. "The Soft, Complaining
Flute" in Dryden's Ode for St Cecilia's Day,
From Harmony, from Heav'nly Harmony
(HWV 76, 1739), with its references to "dy­
ing notes," "woes;' "hopeless lovers,""dirge,"
and "whispered;' brings to mind the char­
acterization of the instrument by the
Frenchman Raguenet in 1702: "the flute,
which so many of our great Artists have
taught to groan after so moving a manner
in our moanful airs, and sigh so amorously
in those that are tender:'5 Handel allows the
flute to emerge from the muted violins
mezzo piano, accompanied only by a lute
(later with organ added). He does not give
the word "warbling" to the flute, as he would
have done to the recorder, but rather to the
lute. The complaints and whispers are ren­
dered by the flute's distinctive figuration of
slides and trills. In Jephtha (1752), however,
there is no lute, only Iphis's injunction to
«Tune the soft melodious lute;' and the
"warbling flute" is one of the other instru­
ments to be tuned to "sounds of rapt'rous
joy;' playing an answering three-measure
Page 6
VERSC)
bass have the obbli­
gato in the preced­
ing "Blessed is the
CI~~ PI~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Man that has a Vir­
tuous Wife.!) Per­
haps the switch in
gender was simply
because the flute
V~I~l~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ parts were origi­
nally written for the
/I
recorder in the pas­
toral "Through the
Land, So Lovely
Blooming" from
Athalia (1733) and
c tan - to ri - a,
fin-ehe n
- ta in pet -t08 vro;
Handel was not sure
which
"flutes"
would be available.
When he used the
material again for
the bird song "Nel
spiegar sua voce al
phrase in the high register. The celebrated canto" in II parnasso in Jesta (1734), he
chorus "See, the Conqu'ring Hero Comes" marked the top lines for "flauto ou trav."
from Joshua (1748), in which flutes play the (recorder or flute).
top line in the dense orchestration, is im­
Handel wrote four depictions of
mediately preceded by the Chorus of Vir­ birdsong for the recorder between 1711 and
gins singing the same music set to the words 1734: "Augelletti, che cantate, zefiretti" from
"See, the godlike youth advance!" This is Rinaldo (1711), "Hush, Ye Pretty Warbling
scored for only two flutes and organ with Quire!" from Acis and Galatea (1718), "II
the two sopranos, in deference to the phrase volo cosl fido al dolce amato nido" from
«breathe the flute." Both choruses found Riccardo 1. (1727), and "Nel spiegar sua voce
their way into the 1750 revival of Judas al canto" from II parnasso in Jesta (1734).
Maccabaeus (first performed in 1747).
Before and after that period, he used the
In two arias the flute is associated with flute. In the first aria he ever wrote with flute
the masculine principle. "Caro padre, a me obbligato, "Cosi la tortorella" in La
no dei" from Ezio (1732) is about Fulvia's resurrezione (Rome, 1708), the first section
fears for the life of her "dear father:' "This is a siciliana in G minor scored for flute and
Manly Youth's Exalted Mind" in The Choice viola dagamba (accompanied bytheorbo).
ofHercules (1751) draws on material from While they are exchanging cooing motives
another aria with flute obbligato, "Gentle for the turtledove who may "weep and la­
Morpheus" from the incidental music to ment, believing that her mate has been
Akeste (HWV 45,1749-50), where the static snatched from the nest by a fierce bird of
phrases represent Morpheus's weariness. prey," they are interrupted with rapid
Perhaps drawing on the military associations descending scales by "tutti bassi, e violini
of its cousin, the fife, Handel scored for the all' ottava" to represent the imagined
flute in the marches from Saul (1739)-re­ intruder.
The most spectacular aria with flute
used in Samson (1743) and Joseph and his
Brethren (1744)-and Judas Maccabaeus obbligato also depicts birdsong, "Sweet Bird,
(1747).
That Shun'st the Noise of Folly" from
On the other hand, in an aria from the L'Allegro, it Penseroso ed il Moderato (1740).
wedding anthem This is the Day Which the On the choice ofinstrument Levin remarks,
Lord Hath Made (HWV 262,1734), the flute "The key association may well be 'melan­
symbolizes the female principle in "A Good choly; evoked best by the flute; also 'evening'
Wife is a Good Portion;' while the cello and suggests a quiet mood which would be
TnwCl1l8 VWlmII~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~:I~~~~~~~
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disturbed by the shrill little sopranino In "Celestial Virgin! Godlike Youth" from Jo­
[recorder] or flageolet:'6 Over a tonic pedal seph and his Brethren (1744), the flutes imi­
in D major the first flute plays a cadenza tate little vocal phrases with references to
(marked "ad libitum") of virtuoso trills and "celestial:' "godlike," and "heaven." The
thirty-second -note arpeggios reminiscent of "zephyrs" in the chorus "May No Rash In­
the one that interrupts the first ritornello truder Disturb their Soft Hours" from
in Antonio Vivaldi's flute concerto in the Solomon (1749) waft their way over the
same key, Op. 10, No.3 (RV 428, "II nuptual bed of Solomon and his Queen by
gardellino"). Handel could well have known means ofa little triadic canon between flute
the Vivaldi concerto, which had been lIviolin 1 and flute 2/violin 2. The pastoral
published in Amsterdam twelve years scene in "Oh Lovely Peace, with Plenty
earlier. Here the
flute continues its
cadenza over a
dominant pedal
then, after a quick
shift to the relative
minor, plays unac­
companied until
~~ ~.
.~
just before the ca­
dence. Its final
flourish of fast
turning-figures is
taken up by the
second flute and
strings. [See Ex­
ample 3] After the
voice enters with
the call "Sweet
bird," the first flute
responds to each
phrase in turn
with complex an­
swering figures,
6
4>
some new, some
2
~
based on the ma­
terial heard previously, alternating with Crown'd" from Judas Maccabaeus (1747) is
more rapid figuration from the orchestra. rendered by a kind of musette with flutes
Presumably it is no accident that the flute and violins moving homophonically over
is absent from the B section of the da capo static bass lines. Purely instrumental mu­
aria, "Or missing thee, I walk unseen:' The settes for the flute occur in Il pastor fido
difficulty of this flute part and others from (1734) and Ariodante (1735). Finally, in
1740 onwards suggests that Handel now had "Hark, Hark, Hark! He Strikes the Golden
a real virtuoso at his disposal. In Achsah's Lyre,'" a richly orchestrated aria from
air "Hark, Hark! 'Tis the Linnet and the Alexander Balus (1748) that includes parts
Thrush" from Joshua (1748), the linnet is for the harp and mandolin, the references
represented by a solo violin and the thrush to "hark," "echoes:' and "sweet" call forth
by a solo flute. Although the flute part, again some virtuoso passagework for the two
in D major, is not as virtuosic or extended flutes involving sequences of turned trills.
as in "Sweet Bird,'" the instrument is given a
good assortment of again rather Vivaldian
arpeggios and returning-figures.
In 1732 Handel began giving to the flute David Lasocki is Head ofReference Services at
not only bird arias but other situations that Indiana University's Music Library, and apro­
would earlier have called for the recorder. lific writer on historicalwoodwind instruments.
,
~u;!:~~~=ve:
Notes
1. Handel's use of the flute in his vocal music is dis­
cussed comprehensively in Lia Starer Levin. "The Re­
corder in the Music of Purcell and Handel" (Ph.D. dis­
sertation. International Colege, Los Angeles, 1981); and
Amy Cornsweet. "Handers Use of Flute and Recorder
in Opera and Oratorio" (MM. thesis. The University of
en ce qui regarde Ia musique et les opera (Paris, 1702).
18-19; English translation attributed to Johann Ernst
Galliard as A Comparison Between the French and Ital­
ian Musick and Opera's (London. 1709), 10.
2. On the size of Handel's orchestras, see Donald
Burrows, "Handel's London Theatre Orchestra." Early
Music 13, no. 3 (August 1985): 349-57.
3. pp. 180-82.
4. p. 378.
5. «& les flutes que tant d'illustres scavent wre gemir
d'une maniere si touchante dans nos airs plaintifs, &
soupirer si amoureusement dans nos airs tendres."L'abbe
Fran'rois Raguenet, Paralele des italiens et des francois,
en ce qui regarde Ia musique et res opera (Paris. 1702).
18-19; English translation attributed to Johann Ernst
Galliard as A Comparison Between the French and Ital­
ian Musick and Opera's (London, 1709), 10.
6.p.254.
A nne Smith and Liane Ehlich are orga­
.l\..nizing a Renaissance Flute weekend in
September at the Schola Cantorum
Basiliensis in Basel, Switzerland. Events will
include performances by consorts and en­
sembles, short papers concerning instru­
ments and perfonnance-related questions,
readings of multiple choir works, renais­
sance dancing, and an instrument-makers'
forum. See Bulletin Board for dates
and further information.
B
arthold Kuijken, famous Belgian expo­
nent of the baroque and classical flute,
will appear in Indianapolis in November
under the sponsorship of the Indianapolis
Baroque Orchestra and the University of In­
dianapolis. Mr. Kuijken will play an unac­
companied flute recital on November 12
using a one -keyed flute, a keyed flute, and
a Boehm flute. 1Wo days of master classes
will follow, for which performers will be
chosen by taped audition.Mr. Kuijken ap­
pears in concert with the Indianapolis Ba­
roque Orchestra on November 18 playing
flute concertos by Vivaldi and Benda, as well
as works by Corelli and Bach. See Bulle­
t in Board for further information.
Page 7