Eternal Source of Divine Light

Eternal Source of Divine Light “Eternal Source of Light Divine” is an aria from G. F. Handel’s secular cantata Ode for the Birthday of Queen Anne (HVW 74). While this particular aria is immensely popular among trumpeters and sopranos (who generally sing the vocal line an octave above the original), Handel intended the line to be sung by an alto voice. In this arrangement for trumpet and organ, Justin Bland has kept the vocal line (now played by the right hand of the organist) in the octave in which Handel wrote it. The original notes of the trumpet part also remain unchanged, allowing the part to easily be played on both modern and baroque/natural trumpets. Although the aria was written in D major, a version in C major is also included, allowing for a greater number of possibilities of performance. For example, if an organ at A=466 is used, the C major version can be used so that the resulting performance sounds in D major at A=415.