Meet a Composer: Giuseppe Verdi

Meet a Composer:  Giuseppe Verdi

Years lived: 1813-1901
Period of Composing: Romantic
Country: Italy

 

Giuseppe Verdi was an Italian composer most famous for composing operas. He was born in Italy and remained there for most of his life. He started learning organ when he was seven years old by helping the organist at his local church.

Verdi never went to an official conservatory because he was denied acceptance at Milan Conservatory. At the age of 19, the Conservatory felt he was too old to attend. He studied privately with several composers in Milan and learned enough to write 27 operas, among other works. That's pretty good for someone without a degree!

Verdi was exceptionally successful at composing opera and some of his operas are the most famous operas of all time including La Traviata (even if you don't know the opera you might recognize this tune from it), Aida, Nabucco, Rigoletto, and Il Trovatore. He also composed a Requiem (a mass for a funeral), other church music, chamber music, vocal works, and piano music.

Before Verdi, the most famous Italian opera composers where Donizetti, Rossini, and Bellini. They wrote "bel canto" operas. Bel canto translates to "beautiful singing" or "beautiful song." These operas were written to show off the singers' voices. Verdi changed the emphasis in his operas to make the drama more important, using the singing to support the drama. 

Considered the greatest Italian opera composer of the 19th century, Verdi's music is still performed worldwide, and his music is some of the best of the past 150 years. Unlike many composers, Verdi actually got to enjoy his fame and fortune while he was alive. When he died, he was a celebrity!

Did You Know?

Verdi composed 27 operas, including two comic operas.

When Verdi died, Arturo Toscanini conducted orchestras and choirs made up of 820 musicians from all over Italy who gathered to perform at his funeral service in Milan. Three hundred thousand people are said to have followed his coffin as it was transported through the streets to its final resting place.

Elton John wrote a musical based on Verdi's Aida. It had a three and a half year run on Broadway, won four Tony Awards, including Best Original Score, and was named by Time as one of the top ten theatre productions of the year.

This Google Doodle was created in 2009 to celebrate Verdi's October 10th birthday.

Listen to this short podcast about Verdi from Classics for Kids and then see if you can answer the quiz questions which follow it.

This short biography about Verdi from Classics for Kids also includes music to Verdi's famous Triumphal March from Aida.

Are you curious to see what an opera looks and sounds like? If so, check out this YouTube video of Aida from Warner Classics.