Never was a shade of any plant
dearer and more lovely
or more sweet.
Tender and beautiful fronds
of my beloved plane tree.
Let Fate smile upon you.
May thunder, lightning, and storms
never disturb your dear peace,
nor may you, by blowing winds be profaned.
Never was a shade of any plant
dearer and more lovely
or more sweet.

Commonly known as George Frideric Handel’s ‘Largo of Love’, Ombra mai fù is the opening aria in the 1738 opera Serse. Sung by the character, King Xerxes I of Persia about his admiration and love for the shade provided by a plane tree, the vocal part is composed for the high register of a countertenor to create the angelic atmosphere. Although the aria was a commercial failure at the time, Ombra mai fú remains as one of Handel’s most famous and popular vocal works.

Here is Ombra mai fu, sung by the famed German countertenor, Andrea Scholl.