# Händel's Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno



## tot (May 24, 2014)

Hi everyone,

A few weeks ago I discovered the beautiful aria "Tu del ciel ministro elleto" from Handel: link. It is part of an oratoria called Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno. I borrowed from the local library the complete oratoria, the version from Emmanuele Haïm with Natalie Dessay, Ann Hallenberg, etc.

While following the text with the included booklet I was wondering why one of the character's name 'Disinganno' is translated as Enlightenment in English, as Désillusion in french and as Erkenntnis in German.
Those seem to be 3 different meanings. According to google translate the closest translation to Disinganno is the french one, Désillusion, which is disillusionment in Englisch. The German word Erkenntnis is more something like knowledge and the English translation Enlightenment could be linked to Knowledge (whereby Enlightenment is the consequence of Knowledge), but it could also be something like spiritual enlightenment of course.

While I am typing this it seems like the question answered itself already  . Handel being part of the scientific revolution since the 16th century was probably one of those who saw in the gaining of knowledge of the world also a disenchantment of the world. In that way the 4 translations can be linked in a direct way.

Though my question is answered I will still post it, as it might interest someone else.

All the best!


----------



## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

Well looking at it purely linguistically, while enlightenment suggests a positive advance towards something, disinganno (dis + inganno) mean being removed from betrayal and deceit - igannare means to deceive and cheat. So it seems to me to have a comppletely different flavour.


----------



## Couac Addict (Oct 16, 2013)

Désillusion can also mean disappointment, depending on the context. Similar, but not quite the same.

...not that any of this brings you closer to an answer


----------



## Marcel (Aug 14, 2014)

I like Bertagnoli's version.


----------

