Discussion of Gloria all'Egitto from Aida - Essay Example

“Gloria all’Egitto” from Aida November 18, The Aida opera is filled with love overtures in a war environment. The research delves on a Romeo and Juliet type of love story (Sexton, 2008, p. 113). The research delves on nationalism in text and music. The Aida opera, especially the Gloria All Egitto song, focuses on the warring parties’ nationalism priorities toward their countries. The epic story of Aida borders on nationalism. The Aida tale incorporates the sexual themes. The story’s environment is set on the war between the Ethiopians and the Egyptians.

Within the war story, the author inserts the love story between Radames and Aida. Verdi removed the colonialism concept to the racial theory in the Aida opera, which was initially staged in 1871. The Aida story was staged at a time when Oriental culture of savagery and sensuality. The Oriental influence aided in the propping up of the White Colonial Europe status quo. The Aida Opera is a nationalistic pre -Christian tale that is set in an operatic mode by an Italian Catholic composer. When the first Aida play was in Cairo, Egypt on a Christmas Eve, The Egyptian government made the Gloria all Egitto song its national hymn (Forrest 2012, p 225).

The Aida story focuses on the dilemma of Radames, Egyptian military commander. Radames is caught between exercising his loyalty to for his Egyptian nation (nationalism issue), including reciprocating his current Egyptian girlfriend’s love and Radames’ true love for his captured Ethiopian Princess turned Egyptian slave, Aida. Aida is the daughter of Ethiopian King Amonasro. The Egyptian girlfriend is Radames’ Egyptian King’s daughter, Amneris. In the same manner, Aida is also caught between her love for Radames and her loyalty to her Ethiopian nation (nationalism).

The story ends with Radames and Aida being buried alive and dying together, in compliance with Egyptian death penalty on Radames’ disloyalty to Egypt and his Egyptian girlfriend (Andre 2012, p. 69). In terms of musical overtones, the Aida story focuses on the two lovers’ conflict with their own nation’s desire to kill the other enemy nation’s soldiers. The story has the same theme as the famous Shakespearean story, Romeo and Juliet. In the Shakespeare story, Romeo and Juliet belong to two warring nations.

The two nations discourage the love between Romeo and Juliet. Consequently, the two lovers’ desire to meet and make love work, the story ends with the death of both Romeo and Juliet. In the same manner, Aida was entombed together, alive. Radames had been charged for treason because of his love for an enemy, Aida. Radames was sentenced to death. To the Egyptians, being seen with the enemy is classified as a traitor act, violating Egypt’s nationalism policies. The two stories of Aida and the Romeo and Juliet story question the limits of nationalism.

Both epic stories questions whether people should pick nationalism, over other issues like love, freedom, and life. Because of their love for each other, both Aida and Radames have to face to criticism and ostracism of their nation’s people (Baycroft 2012, p. 45). In terms of the Aida song, Gloria All Egitto, the final cadence of the Aida Opera starts with the Gloria All Egitto trumpet song. Often, the song is used in graduation ceremonies. As a marching song, the Gloria All Egitto creates pride and uniform marching cadence among the students who are marching onto the Graduation stage to receive their diplomas.

The same marching song leads to the ballet portion of the Aida opera. The Gloria All Egitto song is often played by an orchestra. The orchestra includes violins, bass, trumpet, singer, and other orchestra musical pieces (Budden 2008, p 286). With Egypt’s placing the Gloria All Egitto song in the same pedestal as a national hymn, the song shows one’s nationalism towards a chosen nation, king, or community. In the Aida opera, the Gloria All Egitto song is played when the Egyptian Pharaoh and his daughter, Amneris, join the Egyptian people’s celebration of Radames capture of the Ethiopian nation.

In the Aida story, the song, Gloria All Egitto, is played to show Radames’ capture of the enemy Ethiopian army, showing Egyptian nationalism. Through the years, there have been several versions of Aida, especially the Gloria All Egitto song, however the theme, concept, or idea remains the same - an individual’s compulsory allegiance or nationalism duties to one’s nation. The marching song style is used in all four versions. There are slightly small differences among the four versions. The four versions tell the same story that Aida and Radames, like Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, must be loyal to one’s country and avoid falling in love with someone from the enemy nation or community.

One version was played by the Covent Garden Orchestra of the Royal Opera house (http://www.bachtrack.com). Another version was play by the Symphony Orchestra and Choir of La Monaie- De Munt (http://www.naxos.com/). A third Version was play by the Orquestra Simfonica y Cor del Gran Teatre de Liceu (http://www.youtube.com/). A fourth version is played by the Metropolitan Opera (http://www.youtube.com/). Summarizing the above discussion, the Aida opera is filled to the brim with the overflowing love of Radames and Aida.

Just like in the Romeo and Juliet Shakespearean story, both Radames and Aida pay for their replacing their mandatory nationalism to their own nations with the prohibited love for each other. As traitors, the two died together for their love. The research delves on a Romeo and Juliet type of love story. In the Romeo and Juliet story, both lovers belong to two warring armies. Both lovers paid for their love for each other with their lives, violating their warring nations’ nationalism policies.

The Aida opera, especially the Gloria All Egitto song, focuses on the warring parties’ nationalism priorities toward their countries, Egypt and Ethiopia. Evidently, the Aida Opera revolves around love being more power than one’s required nationalism. References: Andre, Naomi. 2012. Blackness in Opera. New York: University Press. Baycroft, Timothy. 2012. Folklore and Nationalism in Europe . New York: Brill Press. Budden, Julian. 2008. Verdi. New York: University Press. Forrest, Tara. 2012.

Alexander Kluge: Raw Material for the Imagination. New York: University Press. Metropolitan Opera. Aida. Retrieved November 17, 2012 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czEfHr8YGPA Orquestra Simfonica y Cor del Gran Teatre del Liceu. Aida. Retrieved November 17, 2012 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jn07xqg3aEU Royal Opera House, Aida. Retrieved November 17, 2012, from http://www.bachtrack.com/review-aida-royal-opera-monastyrska Saxton, Adam. 2008. Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. New York: J.

Wiley & Sons Press. Symphony Orchestra and Choir of La Monaie- De Munt. Aida. Retrieved November 17, 2012 from: http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=oa0954d