Giuseppe Verdi was born in a small village in Northern Italy. The register lists him as ‘born yesterday’ on the 11th October. However, at that time days were generally thought to begin at sunset, so he has two possible birth dates.
His poor humble beginnings did not prevent his innate musical talent from shining through and the local community subsidised his lessons in composition.
Verdi's' Personal Life
Verdi had a brief flirtation with politics in his youth but found active participation in politics distasteful and resigned from parliament. Verdi went to Milan when he was twenty to continue with his studies. It was here that he experienced operatic performances as well as German music concerts and he was encouraged to pursue his talents as a theatrical composer.
He returned to his home town as its music master much to the delight of his local community who had revered and supported his musical talent. He fell in love with one of his pupils, Margherita Barezzi, whom he married and had two children. However, Verdi’s personal happiness was not to last. Both children died in infancy and Margherita died four years into their marriage. He was devastated.
Later at the age of 38, he moved in with a tired soprano Giuseppina Strepponi. Some regarded their cohabitation with disdain but eventually they married and remained together until her death in 1897.
Verdi's Operas
Verdi’s first opera was performed by Milans famous opera house,La Scala and was a moderate success. He was invited to produce two more works. It was during this time that he lost his family and his work suffered through his bereavement. He vowed to give up composing forever. Luckily, he was persuaded to continue writing by an impresario he had met at La Scala. Nabucco would be the opera, which would make him famous. Other famous opera’s during Verdi’s life include;
- Macbeth – an unusual opera without a love story
- Rigolietto – based on a play written by Victor Hugo
- La Traviata – based on the play The Lady of the Camellias
- Don Carlos –commissioned by the Paris Opera and initially performed inFrench
- Aida – to celebrate the opening of the Suez Canal (though there are a number of points of view about this amongst critics)
Verdi was also to compose a piece for Rossini’s Requiem Mass the original of which was not performed during his lifetime. He would continue to complete works until his death following a stroke. These would include those based on the plays of William Shakespeare, namely Othello and Falstaff.
Verdi's Musical Style
Great musicians including Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti and Mercadente preceded Verdi. He avoided the influence of Wagner and respectfully regarded Gounod as the greatest living composer from a distance.Verdi regarded his own style as more uneducated than most and relied on his melodic gift to inform his expression. However, Verdi fully appreciated the value of the orchestra and would use its expressive powers to the full.Verdi also concerned himself with plot and worked very closely with librettists to ensure that the music would enable them to bring their characters and therefore, the story, to life.
The operas composed by Giuseppe Verdi are still performed in opera houses throughout the world to this date. His works have been criticised for their melodramatic style, more suitable for the common people. However, they have profoundly influenced the boundaries of the musical genre of opera, firmly embedding both style and delivery in popular culture.
Sources include:
The Grove Concise Dictionary of Music
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