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Italian operatic composer, whose
works stand among the greatest in the history of Italian opera.
Born on October 10, 1813, in Roncole
in the former duchy of Parma, he first studied music in the neighboring
town of Busseto. Then, upon being rejected in 1832, because of his age,
by the Milan Conservatory, he became a pupil of the Milanese composer
Vincenzo Lavigna. He returned to Busseto in 1833 as conductor of the Philharmonic
Society.
Early Works
At the age of 25 Verdi again went
to Milan. His first opera, Oberto, was produced at
La Scala with some success in 1839. His next work, the comic opera
Un giorno di regno (King for a Day, 1840), was a failure, and Verdi,
lamenting also the recent deaths of his wife and two children, decided to
give up composing. After more than a year, however, the director of La Scala
succeeded in inducing him to write Nabucco (1842). The opera
created a sensation; its subject matter dealt with the Babylonian Captivity
of the Jews, and the Italian public regarded it as a symbol of the
struggle against Austrian rule in northern Italy. I Lombardi (1843)
and Ernani (1844), both great successes, followed, but of
the next ten only Macbeth (1847) and Luisa Miller
(1849) have survived in the permanent operatic repertory. Verdi's three
following works, Rigoletto (1851), Il Trovatore
(1853), and La Traviata (1853), brought him international
fame and remain among the most popular of all operas.
Middle Period
Operas written in the middle of
Verdi's career, including Un ballo in maschera (A Masked
Ball, 1859), La forza del destino (The Force of Destiny,
1862), and Don Carlo (1867), exhibit a greater mastery of
musical characterization and a greater emphasis on the role of the orchestra
than his earlier works.
Aïda (1871), also of this period and probably
Verdi's most popular opera, was commissioned by the khedive of
Egypt to celebrate the opening of the Suez Canal; it was first performed
in Cairo. Three years later, Verdi composed his most important nonoperatic
work, the Requiem Mass in memory of the Italian novelist Alessandro
Manzoni. Verdi's other nonoperatic compositions include the dramatic cantata
Inno delle nazioni (Hymn of the Nations, 1862) and the String Quartet
in E minor (1873).
Late Works
In his 70s, Verdi produced the
supreme expression of his genius, Otello (1887), composed to
a libretto skillfully adapted by the Italian composer and librettist Arrigo
Boito from the Shakespearean tragedy Othello. This was followed by Verdi's
last opera, Falstaff (1893), also adapted by Boito from Shakespeare,
and generally considered one of the greatest of all comic operas.
Verdi died on January 27, 1901, in Milan.
In general, Verdi's works are most
noted for their emotional intensity, tuneful melodies, and dramatic
characterizations. He transformed the Italian opera, with its traditional
set pieces, old-fashioned libretti, and emphasis on vocal displays, into
a unified musical and dramatic entity. His operas are among those
most frequently produced in the world today.
Works |