The libretto for Norma is excellently written and ar ranged, for Romani transformed the old French tragedy, so full of intensely interesting scenes, into effectively beautiful Italian verse, and so furnished Bellini with a literary setting worthy of some of his greatest and most successful operatic music.
We but repeat the history of many a worthy work when we relate that Norma was coldly received upon its first performance in Milan. Italian critics said it lacked vitality, and prophesied that it would soon be shelved. Why this of all criticisms we now fail to understand, un less the interpretation was a poor one, for there are few operas in which such splendid dramatic effects are pro duced without any bombastic music. Bellini's music is noted for its simple melodic force and to quote one re cent critic, "no Italian opera score today is more alive or more worthy of living than that of Norma." Justly the most famous of the numbers is Norma's beautiful prayer "Costa Diva" (" Goddess chaste "). It occurs in the fourth scene of act one after the cutting of the sacred mis tletoe, and in it she invokes peace from the moon. It is an exquisite song, pathetic in melody, graceful, tender, beautiful, and has ever been popular. " Meco all' alter de
Venere " (" With me at Venus' altar "), in which Pollione confesses his guilty love, is also notable. In the follow ing scene, where Adalgisa is met by the proconsul, who urges her to fly with him to Rome, we hear a duet of great power and beauty, and its song of passion " Va, crudele " (" Go, cruel one ") is a striking number which is popular with tenor soloists.
The first act is closed with a terzetto of great force, " 0! di qual sei tu" (" 0 ! how his art "), in which Norma and Adalgisa denounce the faithless Pollione. In the most interesting second act we hear the now familiar, "Mira, 0 Norma" (" Dearest Norma "), which rivals in popularity Norma's beautiful prayer; and another beautiful song " con to li prendi" ("Deign in infancy to tend them "), in which Norma consigns her childi-en to the care of Adalgisa. After Norma has summoned the Druids to her aid she chants a hymn full of vengeance and of the horrors of battle, "Guerra, guerra," which is remarkable for its simple but forceful music. As a final number we have the beautiful duet between Norma and Pollione, when, too late, he discovers the nobility of the woman who loves him.