Ombra mai fu - Wikipedia Ombra mai fu From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia   (Redirected from Ombra mai fù) Jump to navigation Jump to search "Ombra mai fu", also known as "Largo from Xerxes", is the opening aria from the 1738 opera Serse by George Frideric Handel. Contents 1 Context 2 Music 3 Libretto 4 Cultural references 5 References 6 External links Context[edit] "Frondi tenere e belle ... Ombra mai fu" Enrico Caruso, 1920 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[edit] Originally composed to be sung by a soprano castrato (and sung in modern performances of Serse by a countertenor, contralto or a mezzo-soprano), it has been arranged for other voice types and instruments, including solo organ, solo piano, violin and piano, and string ensembles, often under the title "Largo from Xerxes", 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[edit] Plane tree (planted in 1680) 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. Cultural references[edit] 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" followed by his playing "O Holy Night" on the violin and singing the final verse. The aria therefore was the first piece of music to be broadcast on radio.[1][2] 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.[3] References[edit] ^ 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. External links[edit] 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 v t e George Frideric Handel List of operas List of compositions Operas Handel's lost Hamburg operas Almira Florindo Rodrigo Agrippina Rinaldo Il pastor fido Teseo Silla Amadigi di Gaula Acis and Galatea Radamisto Muzio Scevola Floridante Ottone Flavio Giulio Cesare Tamerlano Rodelinda Scipione Alessandro Admeto Riccardo Primo Siroe Tolomeo Lotario Partenope Poro Ezio Sosarme Orlando Arianna in Creta Parnasso in festa Oreste Ariodante Alcina Atalanta Arminio Giustino Berenice Faramondo Alessandro Severo Serse Giove in Argo Imeneo Deidamia Opera excerpts "Lascia ch'io pianga" "Ombra mai fu" "Svegliatevi nel core" "Va tacito e nascosto" Incidental music The Alchemist Comus Alceste Oratorios Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno / Il trionfo del Tempo e della Verità / The Triumph of Time and Truth La resurrezione Brockes Passion Esther Deborah Athalia Saul Israel in Egypt L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato Messiah Structure Part I Part II Part III Der Messias (Mozart arr.) Scratch Messiah Samson Semele Joseph and his Brethren Hercules Belshazzar Occasional Oratorio Judas Maccabaeus Joshua Alexander Balus Susanna Solomon Theodora The Choice of Hercules Jephtha Odes and masques Aci, Galatea e Polifemo Ode for the Birthday of Queen Anne Alexander's Feast Ode For St. Cecilia's Day Cantatas Agrippina condotta a morire or Dunque sarà pur vero Allor ch'io dissi addio Aure soavi e lieti Clori, Tirsi e Fileno Dalla guerra amorosa Del bell'idolo mio Apollo e Dafne O lucenti, o sereni occhi Ero e Leandro Tra le fiamme (Il consiglio) Un'alma innamorata Latin church music Dixit Dominus Gloria Nisi Dominus Salve Regina Anthems As Pants the Hart Zadok the Priest The Ways of Zion Do Mourn / Funeral Anthem for Queen Caroline Sing Unto God/Anthem for the Wedding of Frederick, Prince of Wales Chandos Anthems Wedding anthem for Princess Anne Foundling Hospital Anthem Canticles Utrecht Te Deum and Jubilate Dettingen Te Deum Queen Caroline Te Deum Chandos Jubilate Oboe Oboe Concerto No. 3 Oboe Concerto No. 1 Oboe Concerto No. 2 Orchestral suites Water Music Music for the Royal Fireworks Flute, solo and XV solo sonatas 358 "Fitzwilliam" 359a 359b 360 361 362 363a 363b 364a 364b 365 366 367a 367b 368 369 370 371 372 373 374 375 376 378 379 Opus Organ concertos, Op. 4 Organ concertos, Op. 7 Concerti Grossi, Op. 3 Concerti grossi, Op. 6 Other Nabal Gideon Keyboard suite in D minor (HWV 437) Catalogs and collections Handel Reference Database Händel-Werke-Verzeichnis Händel-Gesellschaft Hallische Händel-Ausgabe Festivals Göttingen Halle London Related articles British citizenship Letters and writings Will Handel at Cannons Handel House Handel & Hendrix in London Georg Händel Category Commons Audio Opera portal Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ombra_mai_fu&oldid=998847386" Categories: Arias by George Frideric Handel 1738 compositions 1906 in radio Opera excerpts Songs about trees Hidden categories: Articles containing Italian-language text Articles with hAudio microformats Works with IMSLP links Articles with International Music Score Library Project links Navigation menu Personal tools Not logged in Talk Contributions Create account Log in Namespaces Article Talk Variants Views Read Edit View history More Search Navigation Main page Contents Current events Random article About Wikipedia Contact us Donate Contribute Help Learn to edit Community portal Recent changes Upload file Tools What links here Related changes Upload file Special pages Permanent link Page information Cite this page Wikidata item Print/export Download as PDF Printable version In other projects Wikimedia Commons Languages Català Deutsch Español Italiano 日本語 Simple English Svenska Edit links This page was last edited on 7 January 2021, at 08:22 (UTC). 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