Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901), was an Italian operatic composer. He was raised as a duchy. He was born on October 10, 1813, in Roncole. Verdi first studied music in the town of Busseto. In 1832 Verdi was rejected to study with the Milan Conservatory because of his age. He became the pupil of composer Vincenzo Lavigna. Then returned to Busseto in 1833 as conductor. 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), it was a failure.
After Verdi had suffered the deaths of his wife and two children, he decided to give up composing. More than a year later Giuseppe returned and he wrote the successful opera Nabucco (1842). After Nabucco he wrote Lombardi (1843) and then Ernani (1844), both great successes,only Macbeth (1847) and Luisa Miller (1849) had survived in the permanent operatic repertor 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 operas.
Operas written in the middle of Verdi’s career include Un ballo in maschera (A Masked Ball, 1859), La forza del destino (The Force of Destiny, 1862), and Don Carlos (1867)and Ada (1871)the Requiem Mass in memory of the Italian novelist Alessandro Manzoni was his most admired workof the time. Verdi’s other non operatic compositions include cantata Into delle nazioni (Hymn of the Nations, 1862) and the String Quartet in E minor (1873).
In his 70s, Verdi produced his greatest piece Otello (1887). This was followed by Verdi’s last opera, Falstaff (1893). Verdi had died January 15,1901. Verdi died on January 27, 1901, in Milan. Verdi’s works are most noted for their intensity of spirituality and height of musical emotion. His operas are among those most frequently produced in the world today.