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Giuseppe Verdi
Un Grande Compositore di Opere Liriche
A Great Composer of Opera
Listen to the Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti
singing La donna è mobile from Verdi's opera Rigoletto
Giuseppe Verdi was a famous composer of Italian opera in the 19th. Century. His full name was Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi and he was born on 10th. October 1813 in a village called Le Roncole near to Busseto. His father, Carlo, was the village innkeeper.
(Portrait of Giuseppe Verdi above - by artist Giovanni Boldini)
The name Giuseppe Verdi translated into English would be Joseph Green.
Giuseppe began his musical career when he was a child by playing the organ at his local church - San Michele Arcangelo. Later, he was sent to Milan for a musical education, paid for by a wealthy friend - Antonio Barezzi. His music teacher in Milan was Vincenzo Lavigna.
Later, he settled in Busseto and became a member of The Philharmonic Society - la Società Filarmonica.
In 1836, he married the daughter of the wealthy friend who had paid for his musical education in Milan. She was called Margherita Barezzi. They had two children - Virginia and Icilio.
Portrait below of Margherita Barezzi by artist Augusto Mussini
Giuseppe's first opera was completed in 1839. It was called Oberto, Conte di San Bonifacio and it was performed at the famous Italian opera house of Milan - il Teatro alla Scala.
Terrible tragedy struck during this period. Between 1838 and 1840 both of his children and his young wife died through ill health, one after the other. In a two-year period he had lost his whole family.
Giuseppe continued to compose operas. Some of his most famous works are - Nabucco, Rigoletto, Il Trovatore,
La Traviata, Aida, Un Ballo in Maschera, Otello, La Forza del Destino, Falstaff.
Giuseppe married again. His second wife was Giuseppina Strepponi and she was an opera singer.
Portrait by Karly Gyurkovich
