Handel: As steals the morn (L'Allegro, HWV 55) Amanda Forsythe & Thomas Cooley, Voices of Music 4K
One of Handel's finest arias, As steals the morn upon the night, performed on original instruments by the Early Music ensemble Voices of Music. Presented for the first time in 4K, ultra high definition video--from our award winning concert "As steals the Morn," March, 2019. This concert placed first in the SFCV "Best of the Bay" awards, 2018-2019. Amanda Forsythe and Thomas Cooley, soloists. Marc Schachman and Anna Marsh, baroque oboe & bassoon.
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In memoriam Edward W. Tayler (1931-2018)
As steals the morn upon the night,
And melts the shades away:
So Truth does Fancy’s charm dissolve,
And rising Reason puts to flight
The fumes that did the mind involve,
Restoring intellectual day.
—William Shakespeare, John Milton & Charles Jennens
“As steals the morn” shows Handel at his very best as a composer: he employs full, rich counterpoint throughout the aria, and he provides extended melismas for the soprano and tenor voices as well as the oboe and bassoon. The text was originally drawn from Shakespeare’s Tempest:
(aside) “The charm dissolves apace,
And as the morning steals upon the night,
Melting the darkness, so their rising senses
Begin to chase the ignorant fumes that mantle
Their clearer reason... (Act 5, Scene 1)
The play as a whole was widely imitated in the baroque period, and Handel's librettist, Charles Jennens, combined Milton's "L'Allegro" and "Il Penseroso" and added his own "Moderato." Milton and Jennens borrow some of the evocative images and vocabulary from Shakespeare, such as "dissolve," "fancy," "charm" "morn & night," and scholar Laurence Lerner notes Shakespeare's influence on Milton's poems ("The English Poems of John Milton"). However, "As steals the morn" is based on Shakespeare and sourced from Jennens' contribution to the libretto, "Moderato."
L’Allegro premiered in February of 1740. The original cast was soprano Elisabeth Duparc (‘La Francesina’) a boy treble, tenor John Beard, and basses Henry Reinhold and William Savage.
Text:
As steals the morn upon the night,
And melts the shades away:
So Truth does Fancy's charm dissolve,
And rising Reason puts to flight
The fumes that did the mind involve,
Restoring intellectual day.
#Handel #Milton #shakespeare
High Definition Audio: Boby Borisov
Final audio and video master: David Tayler
📊 Video Statistics
🎧 About This Track
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✨ Highlights
- ⭐ Reached 1 million+ views milestone
🎯 Best For
💡 Listening Tips
- 🔁 Enable looping for continuous relaxation
- 🎛️ Try the Ambient Sound Mixer to customize your experience
- 📱 Works great through phone speakers or Bluetooth
💬 What Listeners Say
"As Voices of Music passes the -400K- *_500K_* subscribers mark, we thank you all for listening to our channel. And our fabulous musicians!"
— @VoicesofMusic 👍 65
"My Mom listened this execution many times in the last two months of her life. Her cancer was not human but you have done a miracle giving her a soft smile when she listened you. Thanks from my heart, heart of a son ..heart of musician too."
— @francescoficarella1474 👍 473
"This performance is beyond words. Thomas and Amanda are perfectly matched. And so are the instruments and the whole ensemble. So in tune with each other. This rendition really soothes my soul."
— @ritabowen8302 👍 161
📖 How to Get the Most Out of This Audio
To fully enjoy "Handel: As steals the morn (L'Allegro, HWV 55) Amanda Forsythe & Thomas Cooley, Voices of Music 4K", we recommend the following approach:
- Set the Scene: Find a comfortable position, dim the lights if possible, and minimize distractions.
- Use Quality Audio: Headphones or quality speakers will enhance the experience significantly.
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- Enable Loop: Click the Loop button above for continuous play during your session.
- Try the Mixer: Use our Ambient Sound Mixer below to customize the audio with additional sound layers.
This 7:09 track is ideal for relaxation, focus, sleep. With 4.4M views, it has become a trusted choice for thousands of listeners worldwide.