Semele

Opera

Writers: George Frederic Handel William Congreve

Songs

Act 1

Scene 1

  • No. 1 Overture
  • No. 2 Recitative ‘Behold! Auspicious flames arise’ - Priest (Cadmus)
  • No. 3 Chorus ‘Lucky omens’ - Chorus
  • No. 4 Recitative ‘Daughter, obey’ - Cadmus, Athamas
  • No. 5 Recitative ‘Ah me! What refuge is now left me?’ - Semele
  • No. 5 (cont.) Aria ‘O Jove! In pity teach me’ - Semele
  • No. 6 Aria ‘The morning lark’ - Semele
  • No. 7 Recitative ‘See, she blushing turns her eyes’ - Athamas
  • No. 8 Aria ‘Hymen, haste!’ - Athamas
  • No. 9 Recitative ‘Alas! She yields’ - Ino, Athamas, Semele
  • No. 10 Quartet ‘Why dost thou thus untimely grieve’ - Cadmus, Ino, Athamas, Semele
  • No. 11 Chorus ‘Avert these omens, all ye powers!’ - Chorus
  • No. 12 Recitative ‘Again auspicious flames arise’ - Cadmus
  • No. 13 Recitative ‘Thy aid, pronubial Juno, Athamas implores!’ - Athamas, Semele
  • No. 14 Chorus ‘Cease, cease your vows’ - Chorus

Scene 2

  • No. 15 Recitative ‘O Athamas, what torture has thou borne!’ - Ino
  • No. 16 Aria ‘Turn, hopeless lover’ - Ino
  • No. 17 Recitative ‘She weeps!’ - Athamas
  • No. 18 Aria ‘Your tuneful voice my tale would tell’ - Athamas
  • No. 19 Recitative ‘Too well I see’ - Ino, Athamas
  • No. 20 Duet ‘You’ve undone me’ - Ino, Athamas

Scene 3

  • No. 21 Recitative ‘Ah, wretched prince’ - Cadmus, Athamas, Ino

Scene 4

Act 2

  • No. 24 Sinfonia

Scene 1

Scene 2

  • No. 30 Aria ‘Oh, sleep, why dost thou leave me?’ - Semele

Scene 3

  • No. 31 Recitative ‘Let me not another moment’ - Semele
  • No. 32 Aria ‘Lay your doubts and fears aside’ - Jupiter
  • No. 33 Recitative ‘You are mortal and require’ - Jupiter
  • No. 34 Aria ‘With hope desiring’ - Semele
  • No. 35 Chorus ‘How engaging, how endearing’ - Chorus
  • No. 36 Recitative ‘Ah me’ - Semele, Jupiter
  • No. 37 Aria ‘I must with speed amuse her’ - Jupiter
  • No. 38 Chorus ‘Now Love, that everlasting boy’ - Chorus
  • No. 39 Recitative ‘By my command’ - Jupiter, Semele
  • No. 40 Aria ‘Where’er you walk’ - Jupiter

Scene 4

  • No. 41 Recitative ‘Dear sister, how was your passage hither?’ - Semele, Ino
  • No. 42 Aria ‘But hark! The heavenly sphere’ - Ino
  • No. 43 Duet ‘Prepare then, ye immortal choir!’ - Semele, Ino
  • No. 44 Chorus 'Bless the glad earth’ - Chorus

Act 3

Scene 1

  • No. 45 Introduction
  • No. 46 Recitative ‘Somnus, awake!’ - Juno, Iris
  • No. 47 Aria ‘Leave me, loathsome light!’ - Somnus
  • No. 48 Recitative ‘Dull god, canst thou attend the water’s fall?’ - Iris, Juno
  • No. 49 Aria ‘More sweet is that name’ - Somnus
  • No. 50 Recitative ‘My will obey’ - Juno, Somnus
  • No. 51 Duet ‘Obey my will, thy rod resign’ - Juno, Somnus

Scene 2

  • No. 52 Aria ‘My racking thoughts’ - Semele

Scene 3

  • No. 53 Recitative ‘Thus shaped like Ino’ - Juno, Semele
  • No. 54 Aria ‘Myself I shall adore’ - Semele
  • No. 55 Recitative ‘Be wise, as you are beautiful’ - Juno, Semele
  • No. 56 Aria ‘Thus let my thanks be paid’ - Semele
  • No. 57 Recitative ‘Rich odours fill the fragrant air’ - Juno, Semele

Scene 4

  • No. 58 Aria ‘Come to my arms’ - Jupiter
  • No. 59 Recitative ‘Oh, Semele! Why art thou thus insensible?’ - Jupiter
  • No. 60 Aria ‘I ever am granting, you always complain’ - Semele
  • No. 61 Recitative ‘Speak, speak your desire’ - Jupiter, Semele
  • No. 62 Symphony
  • No. 63 Recitative ‘You’ll grant what I require?’ - Semele, Jupiter
  • No. 64 Aria ‘Ah, take heed what you press!’ - Jupiter
  • No. 65 Aria ‘No, no I’ll take no less’ - Semele

Scene 5

  • No. 66 Recitative ‘Ah, whither is she gone?’ - Jupiter

Scene 6

  • No. 67 Aria ‘Above measure is the pleasure’ - Juno

Scene 7

  • No. 68 Recitative ‘Ah me! Too late I now repent’ - Semele

Scene 8

  • No. 69 Recitative ‘Of my ill-boding dream’ - Ino
  • No. 70 Chorus ‘Oh, terror and astonishment!’ - Chorus
  • No. 71 Recitative ‘How I was hence removed’ - Ino, Cadmus, Athamas
  • No. 72 Aria ‘Despair no more shall wound me’ - Athamas
  • No. 73 Recitative ‘See from above the bellying clouds descend’ - Cadmus

Final Scene

  • No. 74 Symphony
  • No. 75 Recitative ‘Apollo comes to relieve your care’ - Apollo
  • No. 76 Chorus ‘Happy, happy shall we be’ - Chorus

A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.


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