George Frideric Handel by Balthasar Denner

''Alceste'' ("Alcides"; HWV 45, HG 46b, HHA I/30) is a

masque The masque was a form of festive courtly entertainment that flourished in 16th- and early 17th-century Europe, though it was developed earlier in Italy, in forms including the intermedio (a public version of the masque was the pageant). A mas ...

semi-opera The terms "semi-opera", "dramatic opera" and "English opera" were all applied to Restoration entertainments that combined spoken plays with masque-like episodes employing singing and dancing characters. They usually included machines in the man ...

incidental music Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, or some other presentation form that is not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead ...

by George Frideric Handel (or Georg Friederich Händel in German). It was the only complete theater project ever attempted by Handel, and he composed the music when he was nearly 65. Alceste was planned in a prodigal collaboration between the businessman John Rich, the famous scenographer Servandoni and the theater author Tobias George Smollett (1721-1771) (who wrote a now lost

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

with the same title (Alceste), based on the homonymous tragedy of

Euripides Euripides (; grc, Εὐριπίδης, Eurīpídēs, ; ) was a tragedian of classical Athens. Along with Aeschylus and Sophocles, he is one of the three ancient Greek tragedians for whom any plays have survived in full. Some ancient scholars ...

) and possibly included song lyrics by Handel's frequent collaborator Thomas Morell (1703-1784), which was rehearsed at

Covent Garden Theatre The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house An opera house is a theater (structure), theatre building used for performances of opera. It usually includes a Stage (theatre), stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facili ...

but never performed. Notes by the librettist Thomas Morell suggest that the play may have been canceled due to Handel's incidental music being considered too difficult for the cast. However, it seems that John Rich may have simply decided that an adaptation of a Euripides drama would be a very risky adventure. After all, that was a period when the tastes of the London public were as volatile as the explosives that destroyed Servandoni's "Temple of Peace" during the presentation of Handel's Music for "Fireworks" in Green Park.Anna Picard, BBC Music Magazine
Retrieved from ArkivMusic.com This incidental music includes an

overture Overture (from French ''ouverture'', "opening") in music was originally the instrumental introduction to a ballet, opera, or oratorio in the 17th century. During the early Romantic era, composers such as Beethoven and Mendelssohn composed over ...

and

song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetiti ...

s for Acts 1 and 4, 19 movements in total. It was composed from 27 December 1749 to 8 January 1750. Handel later used the music in '' The Choice of Hercules'', HWV 69, and revivals of '' Alexander Balus'', HWV 65, and ''

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted th ...

'', HWV 60.

Recordings

References

External links

* Libretto in original English (from haendel.it an
handelforever.com
2004

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alceste (Handel) Operas by George Frideric Handel Semi-operas Operas Incidental music Operas based on classical mythology 1750 compositions Operas based on works by Euripides Works based on Alcestis (play)