aria "Ombra mai fu"
E561798
The aria "Ombra mai fu" is a renowned, lyrically serene opening piece from George Frideric Handel’s opera *Serse*, celebrated for its expressive beauty and frequent performance as a standalone concert work.
Observed surface forms (1)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Ombra mai fu | 0 |
Statements (49)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
aria
ⓘ
classical composition ⓘ musical work ⓘ |
| associatedWithComposer | George Frideric Handel NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| basedOn | Italian libretto adapted from earlier sources ⓘ |
| catalogueNumber | HWV 40 (within opera Serse) NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| commonTitle | Handel’s Largo NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| composer | George Frideric Handel NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| countryOfOrigin | Kingdom of Great Britain ⓘ |
| firstPerformanceDate | 1738 ⓘ |
| firstPerformancePlace | London NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| firstPerformanceWork | Serse NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| frequentlyPerformedAt |
funerals
ⓘ
general classical concerts ⓘ weddings ⓘ |
| genre | opera aria ⓘ |
| hasArrangement |
arrangements for organ
ⓘ
arrangements for piano ⓘ arrangements for string ensemble ⓘ |
| hasRecording | numerous commercial audio recordings ⓘ |
| historicalContext | written for London opera audiences in the 18th century ⓘ |
| language | Italian ⓘ |
| misnomerExplanation | popularly called a Largo although marked Larghetto ⓘ |
| mood |
lyrical
ⓘ
serene ⓘ |
| movementNumber | 1 ⓘ |
| notableFeature |
often performed as a standalone concert piece
ⓘ
one of Handel’s most famous arias ⓘ |
| openingWords | Ombra mai fu ⓘ |
| operaCharacter | Serse NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| orchestration |
basso continuo
ⓘ
string orchestra ⓘ |
| originalKey | F major ⓘ |
| partOf | Serse NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| period | Baroque NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| positionInWork | opening aria ⓘ |
| style | da capo aria (modified) ⓘ |
| subjectMatter | praise of the shade of a plane tree ⓘ |
| sungByCharacter | Xerxes I of Persia NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| tempoMarking | larghetto ⓘ |
| textAuthor | Nicola Francesco Haym NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| textTheme | contemplation of nature ⓘ |
| typicalPerformanceDuration | about 3 minutes ⓘ |
| vocalRange |
alto castrato
ⓘ
countertenor ⓘ mezzo-soprano ⓘ soprano ⓘ |
| vocalType | solo voice with orchestra ⓘ |
| yearComposed | 1738 ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.