In the history of nations, there are special occasions that call for celebrations that go beyond the normal level of pomp and circumstance that one sees on days such as the Fourth of July in America or May Day in Russia. I am thinking of when Neil Armstorng walked on the moon, for example. The ticker tape parade that was held to honour the Apollo astronauts upon their return to Earth was something for the ages. It was a euphorically grand event that united citizens of the United States. Everyone was proud of what had been accomplished. It was an expression of patriotic pride at its zenith. Many types of nationalistic celebrations have been captured in operatic form as well. One of the most famous of these is the subject of today’s post, “The Triumphal March” composed by Giuseppe Verdi for his opera Aida.
Giuseppe Verdi is known for his operas. In addition to Aida, Verdi also composed the music for Falstaff, Rigoletto, La Traviata, MacBeth and many more. Verdi was an Italian composer who became known, over time, for the pride with which he lived his life as an Italian. Verdi was a staunch proponent of the unification of Italy into a single country (as opposed to being a collection of principalities and occupied zones controlled by other countries). Verdi became a successful landowner and politician during the time in which he was carving out a reputation as being the preeminent authority on operas in Europe. As Verdi’s life went on, many of the passions he possessed in his personal life managed to find their way into the operas he was creating. This is very true of the opera Aida.
Aida was commissioned toward the end of Verdi’s career by the government of Egypt to celebrate the opening of the Suez Canal and the building of a new opera house. Giuseppe Verdi was paid an exorbitant amount of money to create this opera, which featured a love triangle that took place during a successful military campaign by Egypt over neighbouring Ethiopia. Aida was created during a time in the history of operas when grand operas were in vogue. Grand operas were operas as spectacle. They were operas in which the sets and cast sizes grew to such epic proportions that many existing opera houses were deemed to be too small to host performances. Thus, many of the grand operas ended up being staged outdoors. While Verdi was very aware that he needed to confine himself to the interior dimensions of Egypt’s new opera house, he nevertheless created sets that filled all available space on stage. The sweep of his opera was vast, the size of the performing cast numbered in the hundreds, and the most spectacular moment occurred during the triumphal march scene in which the stage filled with hundreds of soldiers in uniform all returning home and parading before the Pharaoh who stood on an elevated platform high above the stage.
The storyline of Aida is fairly straightforward. Its simplicity allows for deeply emotional moments to be integrated into the storyline with ease. In the case of the triumphal march scene, there are many conflicting emotions on display simultaneously, which helps lend an emotional wallop to a scene that could rest simply on the grandeur of the setting if Verdi so desired. The basic elements of the story are that Egypt and Ethiopia have gone to war against each other. As was custom back then, prisoners of war (whether they be civilians or soldiers) were forced into slavery by the victorious side. In this case Ethiopia lost the war, but in order to enable the survival of the Royal family, all family members donned disguises. Even though they were captured and taken back to Egypt as slaves, no one knew the identity of the King and his daughter, Aida, except themselves. Princess Aida was taken as a slave by the Pharaoh’s daughter Amneris. Unbeknownst to both women, they each secretly loved the conquering Egyptian general Radamès. In turn, Radamès has fallen in love with Aida although he knew that having a relationship with a slave would not survive political scrutiny. Did he follow his heart or his career path? For Amneris, she realized fairly quickly that Radamès did not love her, and she suspected he was already committed to another. For most of the opera Amneris does not know that her beloved is in love with her own slave. Did Amneris go ahead with a politically arranged but ultimately loveless marriage to Radamès? Did she seek revenge on Aida? As for Aida, she worked hard to convince Radamès to run away with her and to protect her father as well. There were many rumours that the male political prisoners would be executed. Did Aida stay with Radamès or leave with her father? Could her father, the Ethiopian King, rally the prisoners and stage a revolt and repatriate Ethiopia, making it a strong independent country again or would he be executed by the Pharaoh? So much is going on while the triumphal march unfolds on stage. As for the music being played during this march, as has often been the case in this series of posts, I am confident that you will all immediately recognize this composition when you first hear it.
Giuseppe Verdi is justifiably regarded as one of the world’s greatest operatic composers. However, he leaves behind a complicated legacy that often parallels that of German composer Richard Wagner. In both cases, much of the political fervor and patriotism infused into their symphonies and operas ended up supplying inspiration to those who believed in nationalistic movements in Italy and in Germany. The cries of “Italy for Italians!” and “Germany for Germans!” that followed performances of their respective works paved the way for the rise of authoritarianism that overtook Italy and Germany a few decades later. Both Verdi and Wagner were unapologetically proud of their native lands and created much work that was aimed at honouring glorious moments from the past, as well as predicting a grand future yet to be realized. In Italy specifically, the political slogan “Viva Verdi!” was one that became quite popular after Verdi’s death in the lead up to Benito Mussolini assuming power. This slogan combined the patriotism of Giuseppe Verdi along with acting as an acronym for the Italian king at the time. The acronym translates as saying “Viva Vittorio Emanuele Re D’Italia” or “Long Live Victor Emmanuel King of Italy!” So while Giuseppe Verdi is lauded for the brilliance of his operas, that same creative genius ended up being co-opted into nationalistic movements that led directly to the start of WWII and the deaths of millions of people across Europe and around the world.
I firmly believe in the unifying potential of triumphal marches. However, if I was King of the world, I would issue a decree that henceforth, triumphal marches will only be held to honor accomplishments that have nothing to do with wars or the subjugation of others for our own glory. Give me a good old moon landing any day and I will happily attend that parade.
The link to the video of a performance of “The Triumphal March” by Giuseppe Verdi from the opera Aida can be found here.
The link to an official website for Giuseppe Verdi can be found here.
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