R.M.20.a.2

Points of note:

1. f. 5. ‘Oh the pleasures.’ The Alto, Tenor 1 and Tenor 2 parts are written in the Tenor clef. Name of singers: ‘Mr Blackley’, ‘Mr Row’, ‘Hardres’[?; Burrows and Ronish suggest ‘?Rogers’], over which are written: ‘Ten 1’, ‘Ten 2’ and ‘Ten 3’.

2. f. 10. ‘Ye verdant plains’. ‘Sra Francesina’ in pencil, in a later handwriting. This pencil note occurs throughout in the part of Galatea.

3. f. 13. ‘Where shall I seek’. ‘Mr Beard’ (in pencil, in a later hand); occurs throughout in the part of Acis.

4. f. 15. ‘Stay shepherd stay’ and ‘Shepherd what art thou’. Written in the Tenor clef, but with a pencil note: ‘in treble for the Boy’ (later hand).

5. f. 19. ‘Segue-l’Aria, As when the Dove’. Below is a fragment of the chorus ‘Wretched lovers’ (H-G., p. 59, line 2, bar 1), crossed out.

6. f. 22v. ‘Happy we’. The tempo originally marked was ‘Allegro assai’. ‘Presto’ is written across it. At the end of bar 1 on f. 23v a pencil-line is drawn; above it (in ink, in the earlier hand): ‘NB Coro per la 2da Volta’ [see H-G., p. 25, line 2]. f. 25 is a blank leaf (late insertion by F. Nicolai) with the notes (partly in pencil): ‘Here, part of the Duett ["Happy we"] is wanting’. ‘It will be found in Alexander’s Feast.’ ‘It is now restored. W[illiam] G[eorge] C[usins]’.

7. f. 26. ‘Wretched lovers’. The Alto part in the Tenor clef, marked in pencil (later hand): ‘this part in Contralt’. On ff. 26v, 27 a cut is marked (pencil) from the end of H-G, p.52, line 1, bar 5 to the middle of line 3, bar 3. Voice parts are added (pencil) to bars 3 and 4, line 1, to make the passage join. On ff. 29, 30 there are cuts and alterations (pencil) from the last bar of H-G., p. 57, line 1, to the end of p. 59.

8. f. 32v. ‘Polypheme’. ‘Mr Reinhold’ (pencil, throughout the part). At the end of the recitatives on f. 36 (see H-G., p. 70) the first page of ‘Cease to beauty is crossed out’ (pencil) with the note: ‘here for the Boy would you gain the tender creature’. ‘Cease to beauty’ has had two earlier sets of words (crossed out in ink): (1) ‘Who would bear a woman’s toying, Who would be a whining lover, Force her if she’s worth enjoying, She’ll forgive you when ‘tis over’. (2) ‘Cease to sue the scornfull Beauty, Whining lover still disdaining, Women mocking humble duty, Laugh to see the strong complaining’. At the end of ‘Cease to beauty, on f. 38: ‘NB. Aria’. On f. 41 a blank leaf follows the end of ‘Love sounds th’alarm’. ‘Segue l’Aria di Damon Consider fond shepherd’. ‘For the Boy’ (pencil).

9. f. 42. ‘Consider fond shepherd’. In the Tenor clef’. Pencil note: ‘in treble for the Boy’. On f. 44v, at the end of ‘Cease thou gentle youth’: ‘Segue il Trio the flocks shall leave the mountains’. On f. 45 is a note by F. Nicolai.

10. f. 46. The beginning of the Trio [‘The flocks shall leave the mountains’] is missing The MS. begins at H-G., p. 90, line 2, bar 3.

11. f. 51v. ‘Mourn all ye Muses’. A cut (pencil) is marked from H-G., p. 100, line 2, end of bar 1 to p. 101, line 2, end of bar 3. The last eight bars on f. 52v are cut (pencil) (see H-G., p. 102).

12. f. 53. ‘Must I my Acis’. On the blank staves of the instrumental opening is written (pencil) a ‘Recit. the Boy’ to the words ‘Cease, Galatea, cease to grieve…verdant plains to roll his urn’, followed by: ‘this done, etc.’.

13. f. 57v. ‘Heart the seat of soft delight’. Italian words (‘Ah per noi sempre fedel’, etc.) are written above the voice part.

14. f. 60. ‘Galatea dry thy tears’. Pencil note: ‘to be writen [sic] and taken from the other Book’. On f. 62v the MS. differs from the version in H-G., p. 119, line 2, last bar, etc. On page 64v the end of the chorus is missing (see H-G., p.122). f. 65 is an inserted leaf with a long note by F. Nicolai.

15. f. 66. ‘Smiling Venus, Queen of Love’. Chorus, written for the performance of ‘Aci, Galatea e Polifemo’ in 1732 (see H-G., p.75).

John Gay, poet: Alexander Pope, poet: John Hughes, librettist: Handel's 'Acis and Galatea' after a text by John Gay, with additional texts by Alexander Pope and John Hughes: circa 1710-circa 1740.

Frederick Nicolay, royal musician and librarian: Handel's autograph scores annotated by: circa 1760- circa 1809: Autogr.