Acis and Galatea is a "pastoral opera" or masque composed by George Frideric Handel while he was living in Cannons (the seat of James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos, during the summer of 1718, and later revised and expanded to three acts in 1732, to words by John Gay, Alexander Pope and John Hughes. The foyer of Charles Garniers Opéra, Paris, opened 1875 Opera refers to a dramatic art form, originating in Europe, in which the emotional content or primary entertainment is conveyed to the audience as much through music, both vocal and instrumental, as it is through the lyrics. ... Costume for a Knight, by Inigo Jones: the plumed helmet, the heroic torso in armour and other conventions were still employed for opera seria in the 18th century. ... George Frideric Handel, 1733 George Frideric Handel (Georg Friedrich Händel in German) (ipa: [hɛn dəl]) (February 23, 1685 – April 14, 1759) was a German/British Baroque composer who was a leading composer of concerti grossi, operas and oratorios. ... James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos (1673 - 9 August 1744) had been member of parliament for Hereford from 1698 to 1714, and, three days after his fathers death, was created Viscount Wilton and earl of Carnarvon. ... John Gay John Gay (30 June 1685 - 4 December 1732) was an English poet and dramatist. ... Alexander Pope, an English poet best known for his Essay on Criticism and Rape of the Lock Pope, circa 1727. ... John Hughes (born February 18, 1950 in Lansing, Michigan) is a noted film director, producer and writer, responsible for some of the most successful comedy films of the 1980s and 1990s. ...

It is not clear whether the piece was staged, semi-staged, or performed as a concert work. The story is based on Ovid's Metamorphoses. It was first published in 1722, and went through a number of revisions before finally becoming the two act work which is generally performed today. It had a number of revivals in various forms and was Handel's most widely performed dramatic work during his lifetime. Handel frequently re-used old material in his new works, and Acis and Galatea was no exception, including at some points material from his cantata Aci, Galatea e Polifemo (1708), as well as other Italian cantatas. Perhaps the best-known part of this piece is a bass solo: "I rage, I melt, I burn." The word staging can mean more than one thing: Staging (rocketry) Staging (pathology) Staging (theatre) Staging (stagecoaches) Staging area (military) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... A classical music concert in the Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne. ... Engraved frontispiece of George Sandyss 1632 London edition of Publius Ovidius Naso (Sulmona, March 20, 43 BC â€“ Tomis, now Constanta AD 17) Roman poet known to the English-speaking world as Ovid, wrote on topics of love, abandoned women, and mythological transformations. ... Cover of George Sandyss 1632 edition of Characters in Metamorphoses The Metamorphoses by the Roman poet Ovid is a poem in fifteen books that describes the creation and history of the world in terms of Greek and Roman mythology. ... Cantata (Italian for a song or story set to music), a vocal composition accompanied by instruments and generally containing more than one movement. ...

In 1788, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart rescored the work for his then-patron Baron van Swieten Mozart drawing by Doris Stock, 1789 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart; January 27, 1756 – December 5, 1791) is among the most significant and enduringly popular composers of European classical music. ...

Synopsis

The basic plot is that Galatea, a semi-divine nymph, is in love with the shepherd Acis, who is friends with Damon, another shepherd. Along comes a monstrous giant, Polyphemus, who kills Acis. Galatea is distraught, but her attendants remind her that she is divine, so she turns him into a fountain, making him immortal. Hylas and the Nymphs by John William Waterhouse In Greek mythology, a nymph is any member of a large class of female nature entities, sometimes bound to a particular location or landform. ... In a draw in a mountainous region, a shepherd guides a flock of about 20 sheep amidst scrub and olive trees. ...

Singers

• Galatea - soprano
• Acis - tenor
• Damon - tenor
• Polyphemus - bass
• Coridon - tenor (only occurs in some versions, generally not included in modern productions)

In Greek mythology, Galatea (she who is milk-white) was the name of a Sicilian Nereid (i. ... Look up Soprano in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Acis was, in Greek mythology, a Sicilian youth who was often considered the son of Dionysus. ... In music, a tenor is a male singer with a high voice (although not as high as the modern countertenor). ... Odysseus and his men blinding the cyclop Polyphemus (detail of a proto-attic amphora, c. ... A bass (or basso in Italian) is a male singer who sings in the lowest vocal range of the human voice. ...

Reference

Stanley Sadie. "Acis and Galatea", Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (accessed April 1, 2006), grovemusic.com (subscription access). The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians, considered by most scholars to be the best general reference source on the subject in the English language. ... April 1 is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 274 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...