In the second act we hear the chorus " Chi mai" sung by the women in attendance upon Amneris as she is being attired for the great festival of welcome for Rha dames, and hear her in her joyful anticipations unite with them in the chorus which tells of the courage and the brave deeds of the hero; and for her diversion Moorish slave boys enter and execute a quaint dance, waving their brilliant long feathers to and fro. The melody for this dance is peculiar, and in it we hear a passage of consecu tive thirds and sixths on the pedal point, G.
Now Aida enters, all other attendants are dismissed; we hear the same theme that we heard in the prelude, for the climax is reached. By feigned kindness and sym pathy Amneris makes Aida betray her love for Rhadames. Amneris triumphs over her with cruelty, and after telling her that she, Amneris, is to be his bride, she orders Aida to be present at the festivities as her slave. Aida, left alone for the moment, prays to the gods in a most appeal ing woeful song "Ah, piet Che piu me resta?" (" Ah Sor row! For me will it never cease?") and we hear its notes faintly as she slowly walks away.
The scene changes to the entrance of Thebes. There is the royal platform on one side, and we see imposing temples, gigantic sphinxes, and rows of palms; Egyptians throng the street and sing the praises of Isis and of their king, " Gloria all' Egitto" (" Glory to Egypt "). At the close of this chorus a brilliant fanfare announces the ar rival of the Egyptian host, and the troops march slowly past the king, playing a pompous march upon long Egyp tian trumpets. It was for this opera that Sax invented these instruments.
In the third act we hear strange, monotonous and yet interesting and fascinating music, which gives the effect of the charm and mystery of an Oriental moonlit night, and then the curtain rises upon a scene on the banks of the Nile, and our eyes repeat to us what our ears have already told us.
The scene is most romantic, and from the temple of Isis, upon which the moolight falls, we hear a weird chant of female voices praising the gods. After Amneris and
Ramphis enter the temple there is a solemn hush, and the solitude of the scene is increased by the music of flutes and oboes, and mystery is everywhere. Aida enters, and while waiting for her lover she sings her beautiful though melancholy song " 0 cieli azzuri" (" Oh! skies of blue "). Turning, she sees her father, and then ensues one of the finest duets in the opera. He urges her to use her power with Rhadames to save her country and break her own bonds of serfdom. She cannot treacherously betray her lover. With fine sentiment Amonasro pleads with her, singing of their native land, of its forests, its valleys, its temples, describes the horrors of war, and finally calls upon the spirit of her mother. There is fury, fire, pathos, love, hate, all these passions depicted in the music, but as Aida falls at the feet of her father, there comes a lull, and we hear her plaintive cry for mercy.
In the final scene there is the plaintive rapturous song of the lovers, in which they bid farewell to life "0 terra addio" (" 0 earth adieu "). The strange chant of the priests and priestesses is heard above the lover's duet, and as the song grows faint the curtain falls.
As has been stated, this opera was written for the Khedive of Egypt to open his theater in Cairo. The text was to be purely local, and the first outline of the story was made by the Egyptologist, Mariette Bey, but was changed to suit the purposes of dramatic opera by Verdi and his librettists. Verdi was not present at the first pro duction, a fact to be regretted, as not all of his operas were at once accorded such genuine approval as was this. It was given before a critical and distinguished audience, and called forth highest praises, for Verdi had not only given them a beautiful, powerfully dramatic opera, but had preserved throughout the local coloring in dances, solos and chants.