Galatea

Acis
Damon
Polypheme

:
A Nymph
:
A Shepherd
:
A Shepherd
:
An Ogre
With SATB Chorus

Soprano
Tenor
Tenor
Bass

CONTENTS
PART 1
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.

Sinfonia
O the pleasure of the plains
Chorus
Ye verdant plains
Galatea
Hush, ye pretty warbling choir
Galatea
Where shall I seek the charming fair?
Acis
Stay, shepherd, stay
Damon
Shepherd, what art thou pursuing?
Damon
Lo! Here my love
Acis
Love in her eyes sits playing
Acis
O didst thou know
Galatea
As when the dove laments her love
Galatea
Happy we
Acis, Galatea & Chorus
PART 2
Wretched lovers
Chorus
I rage, I melt, I burn
Polypheme
O ruddier than the cherry
Polypheme
Whither, fairest, art thou running
Polypheme & Galatea
Cease to beauty to be suing
Polypheme
Would you gain the tender creature?
Damon
His hideous love
Acis
Love sounds the alarm
Acis
Consider, fond shepherd
Damon
Cease, O cease
Galatea
The flocks shall leave the mountains
Galatea, Acis & Polypheme
Help, Galatea
Acis
Mourn, all ye Muses
Chorus
Must I my Acis still bemoan
Galatea & Chorus
'Tis done
Galatea
Heart, the seat of soft delight
Galatea
Galatea, dry thy tears
Chorus

p 3
p 7
p 17
p 18
p 22
p 24
p 25
p 28
p 28
p 31
p 31
p 35
p 42
p 54
p 55
p 58
p 59
p 62
p 64
p 65
p 68
p 71
p 72
p 76
p 77
p 82
p 89
p 90
p 93

Editors Notes
This Masque or Serenata was originally written in 1718 for chamber performance at the Duke of
Chandoss palatial residence at Cannons just NW of London. Handel revised it for theatrical concert
performance in 1732 and it became very popular. The libretto is from a translation of Ovids
Metamorphoses to which a number of Handels poet friends (notably John Gay, Alexander Pope and
John Hughes) are thought to have contributed.
The version presented here is based on the edition produced by Joseph Barnby in the 1890s in which
Handels all-male scoring was rearranged for SATB. Some phrase endings have been shortened to
permit more precise breathing, and some rhythms have been pointed up in accordance with accepted
performance practice.
Handel originally concluded Part 1 with the da capo duet Happy We. In the 1732 revision he introduced a chorus on the same text. This appears as an additional item in most subsequent scores.
However, it would appear that the most satisfactory conclusion to Part 1 (in both musical and dramatic
terms) is for the chorus to replace the duet repeat and form one continuous movement. It is in this form
that Happy We is presented here.

Possible cuts:The preponderance of da capo arias in this work makes it seem overly long and repetitive to modern
ears. Barnby, Watkins Shaw, and even Handel himself, have suggested a number of cuts which it may
be thought improve the tautness of this work. These are given below.
N 4

Begin the repeat at bar 18 (Page 19) and in the repeat omit bars 4459 inclusive.

N 5

Begin the repeat at bar 9 (Page 22).

N 7

In the repeat, the orchestral introduction may be omitted, starting the repeat at the

[x] shown in bar 10 (Page 25).

N 9

At the repeat, omit the 6 bars of orchestral introduction (Page 28).

N 11

The whole of the repeat may be omitted, concluding with the cadence in bar 181(Page 35).

N 17

Instead of the D.C., the repeat may be started at the [x] shown in bar 16 (Page 59).

N 20

In the repeat, omit bars 721 inclusive. (Page 65)

N 21

In the repeat, omit the orchestral introduction (Page 68), omit from the upbeat to bar 32
(Page 68) to the upbeat to bar 60 (Page 69), and omit from the second beat of bar 75 to
the second beat of bar 83 (Page 70).

N 29

This is a cut made by Handel himself. Omit from the upbeat to bar 63 (Page 97) to the
upbeat to bar 82 (Page 98).

These suggested cuts are shown in the score by the symbols  & 

-2-

ACIS and GALATEA Part 1

N 1 SINFONIA

-3-

Acis and Galatea1

-4-

Acis and Galatea1

-5-

Acis and Galatea1

-6-

N 2 (Chorus) - O THE PLEASURE OF THE PLAINS

-7-

Acis and Galatea 2

-8-

Acis and Galatea 2

-9-

Acis and Galatea 2

- 10 -

Acis and Galatea 2

- 11 -

Acis and Galatea 2

- 12 -

Acis and Galatea 2

- 13 -

Acis and Galatea 2

- 14 -

Acis and Galatea 2

- 15 -

Acis and Galatea 2

- 16 -

Acis and Galatea 2/3

N 3 (Recit - Galatea) - YE VERDANT PLAINS

- 17 -

Acis and Galatea 4

N 4 (Air - Galatea) - HUSH, YE PRETTY WARBLING CHOIR

- 18 -

Acis and Galatea 4

[x]

- 19 -

Acis and Galatea 4

- 20 -

Acis and Galatea 4

- 21 -

Acis and Galatea 5

N 5 (Air - Acis) - WHERE SHALL I SEEK THE CHARMING FAIR?

[x]

- 22 -

Acis and Galatea 5

- 23 -

Acis and Galatea 5/6

N 6 (Recit - Damon) - STAY, SHEPHERD, STAY

- 24 -

Acis and Galatea 7

N 7 (Air - Damon) - SHEPHERD, WHAT ART THOU PURSUING?

[x]

- 25 -

Acis and Galatea 7

- 26 -

Acis and Galatea 7

- 27 -

Acis and Galatea 8/9

N 8 (Recit - Acis) - LO! HERE MY LOVE

N 9 (Air - Acis) - LOVE IN HER EYES SITS PLAYING

[x]

- 28 -

Acis and Galatea 9

- 29 -

Acis and Galatea 9

- 30 -

Acis and Galatea 10/11

N 10 (Recit - Galatea) - O DIDST THOU KNOW

N 11 (Air - Galatea) - AS WHEN THE DOVE LAMENTS HER LOVE

- 31 -

Acis and Galatea 11

- 32 -

Acis and Galatea 11

- 33 -

Acis and Galatea 11

- 34 -

Acis and Galatea 11/12

N 12 Duet - (Galatea & Acis) and Chorus - HAPPY WE

(See Editors Note on page 2)

- 35 -

Acis and Galatea 12

- 36 -

Acis and Galatea 12

- 37 -

Acis and Galatea 12

- 38 -

Acis and Galatea 12

- 39 -

Acis and Galatea 12

- 40 -

Acis and Galatea 12

- 41 -

ACIS and GALATEA Part 2

N 13 (Chorus) - WRETCHED LOVERS

- 42 -

Acis and Galatea - 13

- 43 -

Acis and Galatea - 13

- 44 -

Acis and Galatea - 13

- 45 -

Acis and Galatea - 13

- 46 -

Acis and Galatea - 13

- 47 -

Acis and Galatea - 13

- 48 -

Acis and Galatea - 13

- 49 -

Acis and Galatea - 13

- 50 -

Acis and Galatea - 13

- 51 -

Acis and Galatea - 13

- 52 -

Acis and Galatea - 13

- 53-

N 14 (RecitPolypheme) - I RAGE! I BURN!

- 54 -

Acis and Galatea - 15

N 15 (Air - Polypheme) - O RUDDIER THAN THE CHERRY

- 55 -

Acis and Galatea - 15

- 56 -

Acis and Galateac - 15

- 57 -

N 16 (Recit - Polypheme & Galatea) - WHITHER, FAIREST

- 58 -

Acis and Galatea -17

N 17 (Air - Polypheme) - CEASE TO BEAUTY TO BE SUING

[x]

- 59 -

Acis and Galatea - 17

- 60 -

Acis and Galatea - 17

- 61 -

Acis and Galatea - 18

N 18 (Air - Damon) - WOULD YOU GAIN THE TENDER CREATURE

- 62 -

Acis and Galatea - 18

- 63 -

Acis and Galatea - 18/19

N 19 (Recit - Acis) - HIS HIDEOUS LOVE

- 64 -

Acis and Galatea - 20

N 20 (Air - Acis) - LOVE SOUNDS THE ALARM

- 65 -

Acis and Galatea - 20

- 66 -

Acis and Galatea - 20

- 67 -

Acis and Galatea - 21

N 21 (Air - Damon) - CONSIDER, FOND SHEPHERD

- 68 -

Acis and Galatea - 21

- 69 -

Acis and Galatea - 21

- 70 -

Acis and Galatea - 21/22

N 22 (Recit - Galatea) - CEASE, O CEASE

- 71 -

Acis and Galatea - 23

N 23 (Trio - Galatea, Acis & Polypheme)

THE FLOCKS SHALL LEAVE THE MOUNTAINS

- 72 -

Acis and Galatea - 23

- 73 -

Acis and Galatea - 23

- 74 -

Acis and Galatea - 23

- 75 -

Acis and Galatea - 23/24

N 24 (Recit - Acis) - HELP, GALATEA!

- 76 -

Acis and Galatea - 25

N 25 (Chorus) - MOURN, ALL YE MUSES

- 77 -

Acis and Galatea - 25

- 78 -

Acis and Galatea - 25

- 79 -

Acis and Galatea - 25

- 80 -

Acis and Galatea - 25

- 81 -

Acis and Galatea - 25/26

N 26 (Galatea & Chorus) - MUST I MY ACIS STILL BEMOAN

- 82 -

Acis and Galatea - 26

- 83 -

Acis and Galatea - 26

- 84 -

Acis and Galatea - 26

- 85 -

Acis and Galatea - 26

- 86 -

Acis and Galatea - 26

- 87 -

Acis and Galatea - 26

- 88 -

Acis and Galatea - 26/27

N 27 (Recit - Galatea) - TIS DONE

- 89 -

Acis and Galatea - 28

N 28 (Air - Galatea) - HEART, THE SEAT OF SOFT DELIGHT

- 90 -

Acis and Galatea - 28

- 91 -

Acis and Galatea - 28

- 92 -

Acis and Galatea - 29

N 29 (Chorus) - GALATEA, DRY THY TEARS

- 93 -

Acis and Galatea - 29

- 94 -

Acis and Galatea - 29

- 95 -

Acis and Galatea - 29

- 96 -

Acis and Galatea - 29

- 97 -

Acis and Galatea - 29

- 98 -

Acis and Galatea - 29

- 99 -

Acis and Galatea - 29

- 100 -