O.E. anfilte, a W.Gmc. compound (cf. M.Du. anvilt, O.H.G. anafalz, Dan. ambolt) from *ana- "on" + *filtan "hit" (see felt (n.)). Anvil Chorus is based on the "Gypsy Song" that opens Act II of Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Il Trovatore," first performed in Teatro Apollo, Rome, Jan. 19, 1853.
