Lascia ch'io pianga
G.F. Handel
Lascia ch'io pianga is a soprano aria from the opera Rinaldo (1711), composed by George Frederic Handel. The melody of this aria however is recycled from older compositions by Handel. It was first used in a Sarabande in the opera Almira (1705). Later it was used in another opera as an aria. After Rinaldo, Handel used it again, 1739, in a fairly unknown aria. The text is a lament about sorrow, chains of suffering and freedom. This work is written for SATB + piano.