Del bell'idolo mio
Del bell'idolo mio (HWV 104) is a dramatic secular cantata for soprano written by Georg Frideric Handel in 1707-09. Other catalogues of Handel's music have referred to the work as HG l,48 (there is no HHA designation of the work). The title of the cantata translates as "Of my beautiful idol". History. The copyist's bill for Ruspoli is dated 31 August 1709 however there is no evidence that Handel was still in Rome at that time. Some aspects of the manuscript connect the cantata with others that were written in the spring of 1707 . Synopsis. The cantata describes the quest of the singer as he ventures into the Underworld to rescue the soul of his beloved Nice. Structure. The work is scored for solo soprano and keyboard (with scattered figured bass markings). The cantata contains three recitative-aria pairings. A typical performance of the work takes almost eleven minutes. Movements. The work consists of six movements: