A Sit-Down With Verdi's Aida
Triumphal March
Aida, opera in four acts (1871)
I'm Verdi, and I'm about to walk you through the Triumphal March from my opera Aida. You'll hear the moment in Act II when the Egyptian army returns victorious and the Ethiopian captives are brought before the crowd, which makes it a wonderful place to see how music can tell a whole scene at once. Here on this site my fellow composers and I also teach you to recognize our pieces when they play, so if you feel like it, head over to the Trainer and put yourself to the test.
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Where to Point Your Ears
Before you press play, I'd ask you to listen in layers, the way you'd watch a crowded street from a balcony. First catch the bright trumpets at the opening, then notice the band that plays on the stage itself, which is why the sound seems to march toward you instead of sitting politely in the pit. Over all of it the chorus sings the glory of Egypt, and you can follow the crowd's excitement simply by how full and loud it grows. If you ever lose the thread, ask yourself who is walking past at that moment, because the music always tells you.Why Call It Triumphal?
I gave it that title because it describes exactly what happens on stage in Act II: the Egyptian army is coming home victorious. Radamès led those forces against Ethiopia, so the whole city turns out to cheer the general who won. A march suits the moment, since a victory parade needs steady steps that thousands of people can keep to. The title only tells half the story, though, because among the people walking in are Ethiopian prisoners, and Aida is an Ethiopian princess held captive in Egypt.A Form With No Name Tag
Choosing the form was an adventure, because a victory parade doesn't fit any textbook plan. It is a procession, so I built it as a chain of scenes, each one marking a new group of people arriving before the King. I'll give you a quick map here and then walk through the sections one by one in the paragraphs that follow. Think of it as four stops along one long road: the welcome, the soldiers, the captives and the King's decision, with the mood changing at every stop.Section 1: Everybody Gets Their Good Clothes On
The first section is the welcome, and it begins with a bright, confident call that tells the crowd to get ready. The chorus answers with its praise of Egypt, and the pace is broad and steady, like people who know they have all day to celebrate. The mood is pure public joy, with no doubt and no shadow in it yet. Keep that happiness in your ear, because I'm going to let it be tested later.Section 2: The Army Marches In, Left Foot First
In the second section the soldiers arrive, and the band on the stage joins the orchestra so the sound grows wider and more solid. The rhythm is firm and even, and you can almost count the steps of the men walking past. Nothing here is complicated, and that is deliberate, because a victory parade should feel like strength moving forward. Listen for how the music swells as more people fill the stage, which is my way of showing you the size of the crowd without a single word.Section 3: The Guests Nobody Invited
The third section brings in the Ethiopian captives, and the music loosens its swagger to make room for them. Among them is Amonasro, who is in disguise, so the cheerful surface of the scene now has something troubled underneath. The celebration doesn't stop, but it sounds different once you know who is being led across the stage. This is the moment where the march stops being only a parade and becomes part of the drama.Section 4: The King Hands Out Presents
In the last section Radamès pleads for the captives' freedom, and the King answers by making him his successor. He also betroths him to Amneris, which is a generous prize, though not the one Radamès's heart was hoping for. The music gathers itself again into full public celebration, so the crowd cheers while the people at the center of the scene feel something quite different. That contrast is what I love most here, because the loudest moment is also the one where the trouble for these characters begins.Over to You
So here is my invitation: press play and let the music carry you along the road I've just described. As you listen, remember the four stops, and notice where the happy crowd meets the people who can't share its joy. You don't need to know anything about opera to follow it, because the procession tells you its story as it goes. I hope you enjoy walking through my Triumphal March as much as I enjoyed building it.---
I hope you enjoyed finding your way through Aida's Triumphal March with me. Did you enjoy this listen guide to the Triumphal March? Now that you know where to point your ears, I'd suggest going back to the march and listening once more, because the trumpets, the band on the stage and the chorus will sound a little different the second time around. I wrote this scene to celebrate a victory, yet the story around it is full of people who are hiding something, and that gives the music a quiet depth beneath all the brightness. There is still a great deal more to explore in Aida. In Act 1 you can hear Radamès sing "Celeste Aida", and in Act 3 there is Aida's own "O patria mia", which I wrote for a very different, much more private moment on the banks of the Nile. Then there is the story itself, which begins in Egypt and ends in the vault of Act 4, and which gives every one of these pieces its meaning. If you'd like to keep going, please click on the links provided and let them lead you further into the opera. I'd be delighted to have you along, and I think you'll find that the more you listen to Aida, the more it has to tell you.