Located in the UK
Located in the USA
Located in Europe
- George Frideric Handel and Thomas Arne
Comus (1745)
- Novello & Co Ltd (World)
- 0201/0000/str + continuo
- 2 Basses, Mezzo Soprano, 3 Sopranos, Tenor
- 2 hr
- John Milton, John Dalton and others
Programme Note
Based on Milton’s masque, Comus was written in 1745 for performance at Exton Hall, the country seat of the Earl of Gainsborough. Breaking up the dialogue is a sequence of songs by Handel, many of which are drawn from existing operas and oratorios (Alcina, Flavio, Samson, L’Allegro, etc.) with original additions by both Handel (the four final arias) and Arne. Comus is Bacchus, the God of Revelry, Milton’s masque ‘in honour of chastity’, which, in the end, wins out over indulgence.