Saint-Saëns "Your voice opens my heart - from the opera Samson and Delilah"

"Your voice opens my heart" is a mezzo-soprano aria from Saint-Saëns' opera Samson and Delilah, based on the story of Samson from the Book of Judges, chapters 13 to 16 of the Old Testament.

Samson, a god-sent and powerful man, was a threat to the Philistines who ruled Israel at the time. He led the people as a judge of Israel, but he was seduced by a Philistine woman, Delilah, and eventually fell in love with her. The Philistines used Delilah to trick Samson into revealing the secret of his strength. One night, Samson sneaks up to Delilah and confesses his love. Delilah responds by singing of joy, and the duet that depicts their love is "Your Voice Opens My Heart." Delilah urges him to reveal the secret of his strength as a proof of her love, and Samson finally confesses that "the source of my strength is my black hair, which has never been cut." Later, Samson is captured due to Delilah's betrayal, and his hair is cut while he is sleeping, causing him to lose his strength. He has both his eyes gouged out and is forced to work as a miller in a prison in Gaza.

The French version of Samson and Delilah was completed in 1874, but was heavily criticized at a private performance, and was refused performance at the Opera House due to resistance to using a biblical story. The entire work was then premiered in German at the Weimar Court Opera in Germany in 1877. This performance is said to have been made possible with the strong support of the previous music director, Franz Liszt. After a performance in Rouen, France, it premiered at the Théâtre de l'Eden in Paris, and finally performed at the Opera House in 1892, where it was a great success.

This piece, which has also been used in film music and figure skating, is a beautiful ballad that remains relevant today, and you will surely be captivated by its charm when you hear it played.
*The original key is D-flat major, but to make it easier to play, the accompaniment has been transposed to F major for the horns and C major for the other instruments.

Duration: approx. 4 minutes 2 seconds

Listen to the accompaniment audio (about 1 minute)

Listen to the accompaniment audio (in F) (about 1 minute)

Set contents

• PDF data of sheet music ①Solo score ②Accompaniment score (full score with solo score)
• Accompaniment MP3 data