Giuseppe Verdi
Italian Romantic operatic giant who dominated the stage for half a century
1813
1901
Italian
Romantic
Aida, La Traviata, Rigoletto
Early life
Giuseppe Verdi was born on 9 or 10 October 1813 in Le Roncole, a small village near Busseto in the Duchy of Parma. His parents were innkeepers of modest means. He showed early musical promise and was supported by a local merchant, Antonio Barezzi, who financed his education. Verdi applied to the Milan Conservatory but was rejected — officially because he was over the age limit, though poor piano technique may also have been a factor. He studied privately in Milan with Vincenzo Lavigna, a répétiteur at La Scala, and returned to Busseto as municipal music director before his operatic career began in earnest.
Career and major works
Verdi's first opera, Oberto (1839), was a modest success at La Scala, but personal tragedy — the deaths of his two infant children and his young wife within three years — plunged him into despair. The biblical chorus opera Nabucco (1842) restored both his spirits and his career, its chorus 'Va, pensiero' becoming an unofficial anthem of the Italian unification movement. Over the next decade he composed at a relentless pace, producing 'galley years' operas including Ernani (1844), Macbeth (1847), and Luisa Miller (1849). The 'popular trilogy' of Rigoletto (1851), Il Trovatore (1853), and La Traviata (1853) established him as the dominant figure in Italian opera. His later masterpieces — Simon Boccanegra (revised 1881), Don Carlos (1867), Aida (1871), the Requiem (1874), Otello (1887), and Falstaff (1893) — show a composer of ever-deepening psychological insight and orchestral sophistication, the last two written in collaboration with the librettist Arrigo Boito.
Musical style and legacy
Verdi's music is characterised by dramatic intensity, memorable vocal melody, a command of large-scale theatrical architecture, and an unfailing ability to illuminate character through music. His operas remain the foundation of the international repertoire. He died in Milan on 27 January 1901 and was mourned as a national hero.