Handel composed the work over the period of 19 January to 4 February 1740, and the work was premiered on 27 February 1740 at the Royal Theatre of Lincoln's Inn Fields. At the urging of one of Handel's librettists, Charles Jennens, Milton's two poems, L'Allegro and il Penseroso, were arranged by James Harris, interleaving them to create dramatic tension between the personified characters of Milton's poems (L'Allegro or the "Joyful man" and il Penseroso or the "Contemplative man"). The first two movements consist of this dramatic dialog between Milton's poems. In an attempt to unite the two poems into a singular "moral design", at Handel's request, Jennens added a new poem, "il Moderato", to create a third movement. The popular concluding aria and chorus, "As Steals the Morn" is adapted from Shakespeare's Tempest, V.i.65–68.

Librettist Charles Jennens (based on John Milton)
Date of composition 1740
Premiered 1740, February 27th (Lincoln's Inn Fields) in London, UK
Type Oratorio
Catalogue HWV 55
Spoken language English
Instruments Orchestra
2x Voice (Soprano)
Voice (Alto) - (some versions only)
Voice (Tenor)
Voice (Bass)
Chorus/Choir
Links
Autotranslations beta Georg Friedrich Haendel: L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato, HWV 55
Georg Friedrich Händel: L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato, HWV 55
Georg Friedrich Händel: L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato, HWV 55