Handel’s autograph of the cantata Pensieri notturni di Filli, meaning Phyllis’ nightly thoughts, is kept in the British Library under the shelf mark RM. 20. e. 2. The cantata was probably composed around 1706, when Handel was spending a period of extended studies in Italy. A whole series of corrections and deletions in the music suggests this might actually be the very first version of the piece. The cantata is registered under the number 134 in the record of Handel’s works (HWV) and is his only cantata existing for the instrumentation soprano, treble recorder and B.c.
The present edition keeps very close to the autograph. Additions by the editor have been marked as such. The text has been carefully adapted to modern prose and the translation is intended solely to improve the understanding of the contents.
I am grateful to Mr. Prof. Mario Sicca for helping to decipher and translate the Italian text.
Translation: J. Whybrow
Calw, November 1995, Franz Müller-Busch
Performance duration (approx): 9'
