A Book of Operas
- Subtitle
- Their Histories, Their Plots, and Their Music
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Table of contents
1. Front matter2. A BOOK OF OPERAS3. Chapter I "Il Barbiere di Siviglia"4. Chapter II "Le Nozze di Figaro"5. Chapter III "Die Zauberflöte"6. Chapter IV "Don Giovanni"7. Chapter V "Fidelio"8. Chapter VI "Faust"9. Chapter VII "Mefistofele"10. Chapter VIII "La Damnation de Faust"11. Chapter IX "La Traviata"12. Chapter X "Aïda"13. Chapter XI "Der Freischütz"14. Chapter XII "Tannhäuser"15. Chapter XIII "Tristan und Isolde"16. Chapter XIV "Parsifal"17. Chapter XV "Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg"18. Chapter XVI "Lohengrin"19. Chapter XVII "Hänsel und Gretel"20. CHAPTER I21. CHAPTER II22. CHAPTER III23. CHAPTER IV24. CHAPTER V25. CHAPTER VI26. CHAPTER VII27. Act II carries us first into the garden of Dame Martha, where we find Margherita strolling arm in arm with Faust, and Martha with Mefistofele. The gossip is trying to seduce the devil into an avowal of love; Margherita and Faust are discussing their first meeting and the passion which they already feel for each other. Boito's Margherita has more of Goethe's Gretchen than Gounod's Marguerite. Like the former, she wonders what a cavalier can find to admire in her simple self, and protests in embarrassment when Faust (or Enrico, as he calls himself) kisses her rough hand. Like Goethe's maiden, too, she is concerned about the religious beliefs of her lover, and Boito's Faust answers, like Goethe's Faust, that a sincere man dares protest neither belief nor unbelief in God. Nature, Love, Mystery, Life, God—all are one, all to be experienced, not labelled with a name. Then he turns the talk on herself and her domestic surroundings, and presses the sleeping potion for her mother upon her. The scene ends with the four people scurrying about in a double chase among the flowers, for which Boito found exquisitely dainty music.28. CHAPTER VIII29. CHAPTER IX30. CHAPTER X31. Act II. News of the success of the Egyptian expedition against the Ethiopians has reached Amneris, whose slaves attire her for the scene of Radames's triumph. The slaves sing of Egypt's victory and of love, the princess of her longing, and Moorish slaves dance before her to dispel her melancholy. Aïda comes, weighed down by grief. Amneris lavishes words of sympathy upon her, and succeeds in making her betray her love for Radames by saying that he had been killed in battle. Then she confesses the falsehood and proclaims her own passion and purpose to crush her rival, who shall appear at the triumph of Radames as her slave. Aïda's pride rebels for the moment, and she almost betrays her own exalted station as the daughter of a king. As a slave she accompanies the princess to the entrance gate of Thebes, where the King, the priests, and a vast concourse of people are to welcome Radames and witness his triumphal entry. Radames, with his troops and a horde of Ethiopian prisoners, comes into the city in a gorgeous pageant. The procession is headed by two groups of trumpeters, who play a march melody, the stirring effect of which is greatly enhanced by the characteristic tone quality of the long, straight instruments which they use:—32. CHAPTER XI33. CHAPTER XII34. CHAPTER XIII35. CHAPTER XIV36. CHAPTER XV37. CHAPTER XVI38. CHAPTER XVII