Silete Venti, HWV 242

SILETE VENTI, HWV 242 (BE SILENT, WINDS) is a Latin motet by George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) The uncertain date of its composition has provoked much debate, although careful study of the work suggests that it might have been written during the 1720s after he had secured his illustrious career in England. The virtuosic demands imposed by the solo part indicates that Handel intended it to be sung by an operatic soprano. The piece opens with a French overture, followed by a fugue which depicts a tempest whose winds are then silenced by the soloist. When the wind returns near the end of the work, it takes the gentler form of wafting breezes. The motet concludes with a sprightly Alleluia. This edition by Friedrich Chrysander was part of the Georg Friedrich H?ndels Werke and Deutsche H?ndelgesellschaft from 1872. Instrumentation: 0.2.0.1: 0.0.0.0: Hpchd: Str (2.2.2.1.1 in set): Solo S. Reprint edition.