10097 Silent Worship

Non Lo diro col Labbro
from Ptolemy
G. F. Handel (1685-1759)

arranged by Roger Harvey

Price: £20.00

Difficulty: Medium

Programme note:
Non lo Diro col Labbro is from Handel's 1719 opera, Ptolemy (Tolomeo). It is an Egyptian story of a deposed king and contains the usual operatic themes of lust, love, duty and revenge.
It is sung by the new ruler, Alessandro about his love, Elisa, who is herself in love with his deposed brother, Ptolemy.
A translation of the original words is:
I will not say it with my lips
Which have not that courage;
Perhaps the sparks
Of my burning eyes,
Will reveal my passion.

The aria is better known in a 1928 adaption by Arthur Somervell as 'Silent Worship'.

Performance note:
This version can be performed as a flugel solo or with a voice or voices replacing the instrumental solo line.
The accompaniment should be played in a very gentle style, throughout. The dynamic is elegantly contained and any nuances marked should be played without exaggeration; think of them as phrasing rather than significant changes of dynamic. Even the forte dynamics should be very carefully balanced - the sound should be warm and not in the least forced.
Some ornamentation is suggested in the solo flugel part but this can be ignored or altered at the discretion of the player.