R.M.20.f.9

ROYAL MUSIC COLLECTION.

ff. 41v, 48v, 56v and 113v are ruled with staves but otherwise blank. For a copy see R.M.18.f.6. See also Donald Burrows and Martha J. Ronish, A Catalogue of Handel’s Musical Autographs (Oxford: Clarendon, 1994), pp. 158-160.

ff. 113. 9.25 x 11.75in.

Points of note:

1. f. 1. ‘angefangen den 28 June [here is the astrological symbol for Thursday] 174[9]’.

2. f. 5. ‘Go my faithful soldier’ (H-G., p. 8). This air has been cancelled, partly in pencil and partly by fastening down ff. 5, 6. The words have then been set as a recitative, with a note at the end: ‘Segue il Coro. and draw a Blessing down’.

3. f. 20. ‘The raptur’d soul’. Four bars are crossed out in pencil from H-G., p. 38, line 4, end of bar 1.

4. ff. 20-21. The two leaves have been fastened down. They contain the second part of ‘The raptur’d soul’ (H-G., p. 39), crossed out (in pencil).

5. f. 39v. ‘Mistaken wretches’ (H-G., p. 76). The recitative from ‘decree… protecting Jove’ is crossed out in pencil. ‘Dread the fuits’ (H-G., p. 77) is marked ‘out’ in pencil. The recitatives (H-G., p. 80) in the MS. are longer and differently set.

6. f. 43v. The recitatives (H-G., p. 83) in the MS. are longer.

7. f. 45. ‘Kind Heaven, if virtue’. The second part: ‘On the wings of the wind’ (H-G., p. 87) is crossed out in pencil.

8. f. 46. ‘O love, how great’ (H-G., p. 88). Written on a separate slip, not autograph.

9. f. 50v. End of the first Part. geendiget July 5. [here is the astrological symbol for Wednesday] 1749’.

10. f. 53. The recitative (H-G., p. 103) in the MS. is longer.

11. f. 55v. Note at the end (H-G., p. 109) of ‘O thou bright sun’: ‘Segue Sinfonia Largo’. On the next line the beginning of ‘With darkness deep’ is crossed out in pencil.

12. f. 56. Note: ‘Sinfonia nell atto 2do nella Scena 2da Teodora. And pierce my Soul with Sorrows yet unknown. Largo. in vece de l’air Lentement, questo Largo’. The Symphony (H-G., p. 112) follows. Note at the end: ‘Segue Teodora. but why art thou disquieted my soul?’.

13. ff. 56v-57. These two leaves have been fastened down. They contain the continuation of ‘With darkness deep’, which ends on f. 58 – all crossed out in pencil.

14. f. 58. ‘With darkness deep’ is followed by an ‘Air. Lentement’ for Flutes and Bassons, crossed out in ink. Note: ‘Instead of this here write this Largo’. ‘But why art thou disquieted’ (H-G., p. 113) follows.

15. f. 64. ‘Deeds of Kindness’ (H-G., p. 127). In the MS. shortened both in ink and pencil.

16. ff. 69v-70. The recitatives in the MS. (H-G. p. 140) are longer.

17. f. 71. ‘Forbid it, Heaven’ (H-G., p. 143)., The recitative in the MS. is longer, but crossed out in pencil from ‘came to save’ (H-G., p. 143, line 1), so that ‘Ah! what is liberty’ (line 3) follows. The end (H-G., line 5) is shortened and crossed out in pencil.

18. f. 75v. ‘Tis night’ (H-G., p. 151). The recitative in the MS. is longer and has not been altered in either ink or pencil.

19. f. 83v. The recitatives (H-G., p. 165) in the MS. are longer.

20. f. 94. ‘She’s gone’ (H-G., p. 186). Marked in pencil: ‘this Recit and Song out’.

21. f. 96. ‘Is it a Christian virtue’ (H-G., p. 191). The recitatives in the MS. are longer and have been much shortened in pencil.

22. f. 97. ‘From virtue springs’ (H-G., p. 192). The air is much longer in the MS. but has been shortened in pencil.

23. f. 105v. ‘Ye ministers of justice, lead them hence, I cannot, will not bear such insolence, and as our gods they honour or despise, Fall they their supplicants, or sacrifice’. This has been set as an air for Valens, but cancelled and replaced by the recitative (H-G., p. 208).

24. f. 113. ‘S.D.G G. F. Handel London den 17 Julij [here is the astrological symbol for Monday] 1749 den 31 July [here is the astrological symbol for Monday] 1749. völlig ausgefüll[t]. End of the Oratorio’.

Thomas Morell, DD: Robert Boyle, natural philosopher: Handel's 'Theodora' (HWV68) to a libretto by Thomas Morell, after a text by Robert Boyle: 1749 - circa 1770.

George Frideric Handel, composer: Music manuscripts: 18th cent: Autogr.