Sei del ciel dono perfetto

From Cecilia, volgi un sguardo, HWV 89, Version C

Composer	George Frideric Handel
Key	F major
Meter	3/8
Tempo	Allegro

Italian text
Sei del ciel dono perfetto,
o virtù nel nostro petto,
tu scherzando alletti il cor.
Ma se ancora un casto amore
si congiunge al bell’ ardore,
è beata l’alma ognor.

Translation needed!

Submit English translation ›

Instrumentation

Violino I + Violino II
Alto
Bassi: Violoncello + Contrabbasso + Cembalo

Notes

This aria and the recitative that precedes it are from the latest version of this cantata (Version C), for which Handel replaced the soprano aria “Sei cara, sei bella” with this aria for alto.

Issues

work_instrumentation for these movements is unclear: Version C of HWV89 is a later performance which included this alto aria, but whether the cantata still included soprano is ambiguous from the HHA preface

Resources

Full score: Hallische Händel-Ausgabe V/3, p. 266 (Appendix)
Scores at IMSLP ›

Cataloguer

Emma Clarkson

Similar instrumentation

Do you have $10 to keep our servers running?

In the last month, 15,000 people used VMII to discover early vocal music. But we only need two $10 donors to cover our server costs. If you find VMII useful, please give what you can!

Send feedback on this page