Second Act

 

Scene: the cave

[Enter Sorceress.]

 Q 

<- Sorceress

 
[N. 13 - Prelude for the witches]

 N 

SORCERESS

Wayward sisters, you that fright  

the lonely traveller by night

who, like dismal ravens crying,

beat the windows of the dying,

appear at my call, and share in the fame

of a mischief shall make all Carthage to flame.

 
[Enter Inchanteresses.]

<- Inchanteresses

 

INCHANTERESSES

Say Beldam say what's thy will.  

 
[N. 14 - Witches chorus]

 N 

CHORUS

Harm's our delight and mischief all our skill.  

 
[N. 15 - Recitative]

 N 

SORCERESS

The Queen of Carthage whom we hate,  

as we do all in prosperous state,

ere sunset, shall most wretched prove,

depriv'd of fame, of life and love!

 
[N. 16 - Chorus]

 N 

CHORUS

Ho, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho!  

[etc.]

 
[N. 17 - Recitative]

 N 

TWO WITCHES

Ruin'd e're the set of sun?  

tell us, how shall this be done.

SORCERESS

The Trojan prince, you know, is bound

by fate to seek Italian ground;

the queen and he are now in chase.

FIRST WITCH

Hark! Hark! the cry comes on apace.

SORCERESS

But, when they've done, my trusty elf

in form of Mercury himself

as sent from Jove shall chide his stay,

and charge him sail tonight with all his fleet away.

 
[N. 18 - Chorus]

 N 

CHORUS

Ho, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho!  

[etc.]

 
[Enter a drunken sailor.]

<- A drunken sailor

 
A dance.
 
[N. 19 - Duet]

 N 

TWO WITCHES

But e're we, we this perform,  

we'll conjure for a storm

to mar their hunting sport

and drive 'em back to court.

 
[N. 20 - Chorus]

 N 

CHORUS
(in the manner of an echo)

In our deep vaulted cell the charm we'll prepare,  

too dreadful a practice for this open air.

 
[N. 21 - Echo dance of furies]

 N 

Echo dance [Enchantresses and Furies].
 
 

Scene: the grove

[Enter Aeneas, Dido, Belinda, and their Train.]

 Q 

(nobody)

<- Aeneas, Dido, Belinda, Trains, Second woman

 
[N. 22 - Ritornelle]

 N 

Ritornelle.
 
[N. 23 - Song and Chorus]

 N 

BELINDA

Thanks to these lovesome vales,  

these desert hills and dales,

so fair the game, so rich the sport,

Diana's self might to these woods resort.

CHORUS

Thanks to these lovesome vales,

these desert hills and dales,

so fair the game, so rich the sport,

Diana's self might to these woods resort.

 
Gitter ground a dance.
 
[N. 24 - Song]

 N 

SECOND WOMAN

Oft she visits this loved mountain,    

oft she bathes her in this fountain;

here Actaeon met his fate,

pursued by his own hounds,

and after mortal wounds

discovered, discovered too late.

S

Sfondo schermo () ()

 
A dance to entertain Aeneas by Dido's women.
 
[N. 25 - Recitative]

 N 

AENEAS

Behold, upon my bending spear  

a monster's head stands bleeding,

with tushes far exceeding

those did Venus huntsman tear.

DIDO

The skies are clouded, hark! how thunder

rends the mountain oaks a sunder.

 
[N. 26 - Song and Chorus]

 N 

BELINDA

Haste, haste to town, this open field  

no shelter from the storm can yield.

CHORUS

Haste, haste to town, this open field

no shelter from the storm can yield.

 
[Exeunt Dido and Belinda and trains.]

Dido, Belinda, Trains, Second woman ->

 
[The Spirit of the Sorceress descends to Aeneas in the likeness of Mercury.]

<- Spirit

 
[N. 27 - Recitative]

 N 

SPIRIT

Stay, prince and hear great Jove's command;  

he summons thee this night away.

AENEAS

Tonight?

SPIRIT

Tonight thou must forsake this land,

the angry god will brook no longer stay.

Jove commands thee, waste no more

in love's delights, those precious hours,

allowed by the almighty powers

to gain the Hesperian shore

and ruined Troy restore.

AENEAS

Jove's commands shall be obey'd,

tonight our anchors shall be weighed.

[Exit Spirit.]

Spirit ->

 

AENEAS

But ah! what language can I try  

my injured queen to pacify:

no sooner she resigns her heart,

but from her arms I'm forced to part.

How can so hard a fate be took?

One night enjoyed, the next forsook.

Yours be the blame, ye gods! For I

obey your will, but with more ease could die.

 
The Sorceress and her Inchanteress.

<- Sorceress, Inchanteress

 

CHORUS

Then since our charmes have sped,  

a merry dance be led

by the Nymphs of Carthage to please us.

They shall all dance to ease us,

a dance that shall make the spheres to wonder,

rending those fair groves asunder.

 
The groves dance.
 

The end (Second Act)

The Prologue First Act Second Act Third Act

The cave

<- Sorceress

[N. 13 - Prelude for the witches]

Wayward sisters, you that fright

Sorceress
<- Inchanteresses

Say Beldam say what's thy will

[N. 14 - Witches chorus]

[N. 15 - Recitative]

The queen of Carthage whom we hate

[N. 16 - Chorus]

[N. 17 - Recitative]

Ruin'd e're the set of sun?

[N. 18 - Chorus]

Sorceress, Inchanteresses
<- A drunken sailor

(A dance.)

[N. 19 - Duet]

Two Witches, Chorus
But e're we, we this perform

[N. 20 - Chorus]

[N. 21 - Echo dance of furies]

(Enchantresses and Furies dance the echo dance)

The grove.

 
<- Aeneas, Dido, Belinda, Trains, Second woman

[N. 22 - Ritornelle]

[N. 23 - Song and Chorus]

(Gitter ground a dance.)

[N. 24 - Song]

(A dance to entertain Aeneas by Dido's women)

[N. 25 - Recitative]

Behold, upon my bending spear

[N. 26 - Song and Chorus]

Aeneas
Dido, Belinda, Trains, Second woman ->

(The Spirit of the Sorceress descends to Aeneas in the likeness of Mercury)

Aeneas
<- Spirit

[N. 27 - Recitative]

Stay, prince and hear great Jove's command

Aeneas
Spirit ->

But ah! what language can I try

Aeneas
<- Sorceress, Inchanteress

(The groves dance)

 
Scene: the cave Scene: the grove
The sea. The grove The palace The baske. The cave The grove. The ships.
[Ouverture] [N. 1 - Scena and Chorus] [N. 2 – Song] [N. 3 - Recitative] [N. 4 - Chorus] [N. 5 - Recitative] [N. 6 - Duet and Chorus] [N. 7 - Recitative] [N. 8 - Chorus] [N. 9 - Recitative] [N. 10 - Air] [N. 11 - Chorus] [N. 12 - The triumphing dance] [N. 13 - Prelude for the witches] [N. 14 - Witches chorus] [N. 15 - Recitative] [N. 16 - Chorus] [N. 17 - Recitative] [N. 18 - Chorus] [N. 19 - Duet] [N. 20 - Chorus] [N. 21 - Echo dance of furies] [N. 22 - Ritornelle] [N. 23 - Song and Chorus] [N. 24 - Song] [N. 25 - Recitative] [N. 26 - Song and Chorus] [N. 27 - Recitative] [N. 28 - Prelude] [N. 29 - The sailors dance] [N. 30 - Recitative] [N. 31 - Chorus] [N. 32 - The witches dance] [N. 33 - Recitative] [N. 34 - Recitative] [N. 35 - Chorus] [N. 36 - Recitative] [N. 37 - Song] [N. 38 - Chorus]
The Prologue First Act Third Act

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