The Most Celebrated Songs In The Oratorio Call'd Saul. [Hwv 53]. [Full Score] Handel, George Frideric 1685-1759 New Arrivals

Folio. Full modern marbled boards with paper title label gilt to spine. 1f. (recto title, verso blank), [46], [i] (blank) pp. (pagination from earlier editions). Engraved throughout. "Saul" added to title in secondary impression. With instrumental music including the overture and well-known funeral march. Names of singers preceding each vocal selection include Mr. Russel, Signora Francessina, Mr. Beard, and Mrs. Arne. Occasional light soiling. First Edition, third issue. Smith p. 139, no. 3. BUC p. 438. RISM H877 and HH877. Saul was first performed in London at the King's Theatre on 16 January 1739. "The libretto ofSaulwas the work of Charles Jennens, heir to rich estates in the Midlands. Scholar, man of letters and amateur musician, Jennens was one of the first of the composer's supporters to understand the dramatic potential of oratorio. (He had supplied Handel with a libretto in1735, but whether this was an early version ofSaulor something entirely different is not known.) Jennens took as his basis the biblical account of the last days of King Saul, consumed by jealousy at the success of young David in the war against the Philistines, and eventually driven to necromancy (the encounter with the Witch of Endor) and death in battle. To this he added elements derived from Abraham Cowley's unfinished epicDavideis, giving scope for female voices in the contrasting characters of Saul's daughters, Michal and Merab. The chorus, not mere commentators, played a role as the people of Israel, directly affected by the downfall of their king. On this framework Handel created a musical drama of remarkable power, drawing the listener with sympathy into the growing disturbance of Saul's mind while evoking vivid images of such scenes as the victory parade for David and the visit to the Witch. The expression of blended love and loss in the final elegy for Saul and Jonathan is one of the most moving moments in all Handel's output." Anthony Hicks in Grove Music Online A lifetime first edition of a masterful and moving Handel oratorio, including a selection of airs and the iconic funeral march.