Handel's Lascia Ch'io Pianga

Handel's Lascia ch'io pianga (Let Me Weep) is a soprano aria from his 1711 opera Rinaldo. He also used the piece in his 1705 opera Almira and his 1707 oratorio Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno (The Triumph of Time and Disillusion). The aria has been recorded by numerous artists, and is featured in several movies, including Farinelli (1994), All Things Fair (1995), L.I.E. (2001), and Antichrist (2009).

George Frideric Handel (1685 – 1759) was a great German–English Baroque composer. Handel's compositions include 42 operas; 29 oratorios; more than 120 cantatas, trios and duets; numerous arias; chamber music; a large number of ecumenical pieces; odes and serenatas; and 16 organ concerti. His oratorio Messiah, with its "Hallelujah" chorus, is among the most famous works of classical music and is often performed during the Christmas season. Among Handel's best-known instrumental works are the Concerti Grossi Opus 3 and Opus 6; The Cuckoo and the Nightingale; The Water Music; Music for the Royal Fireworks; and his sixteen keyboard suites, especially The Harmonious Blacksmith.

Handel's music was studied by composers such as Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. To Beethoven, George Frideric Handel was "the master of us all... the greatest composer that ever lived. I would uncover my head and kneel before his tomb". Beethoven emphasised the simplicity and popular appeal of Handel's music when he said, "Go to him to learn how to achieve great effects, by such simple means".

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