Profile of Giuseppe Verdi

October 10, 1813; his parents were Carlo Verdi and Luigia Uttini. His father was an innkeeper.

Roncole (La Roncola) in Italy

January 27, 1901 in Milan due to a heart attack.

Giuseppe Verdi was a highly-expressive Italian composer of the 19th century. He was a composer of operas, a music director, librettist, senator, highly-revered musician, rich but charitable artist and in his own words "a peasant from Roncole."

He is famous for the themes of freedom, heroism, love and liberty which is evident in his works. He wrote mostly Italian grand operas, also marches, symphonies, church music and secular music.

Verdi began playing the keyboard at age 3 and at age 7 began playing the spinet that his father bought him. When he was 10 years old, the organist of a church in Busseto taught him how to play the organ. With the help of Antonio Barezzi, Verdi was able to study privately in Milan. He also studied with Ferdinando Provesi, director of the local Philharmonic Society, and with composer Vincenzo Lavigna.

Among his well-known compositions are: Oberto, Conte di San Bonifacio, Nabucco, Ernani, Rigoletto, Il trovatore, La traviata, Simon Boccanegra, Un ballo in maschera, La forza del destino, Don Carlos, Aida, Messa da Requiem, Otello and Falstaff.

Verdi married Margherita, Barezzi's daughter, when he was 22 and they had 2 children who both died young.

Verdi was accused, due to his work on Otello, of copying Richard Wagner's work. The accusations were unfounded. He wrote Otello when he was 73 and Falstaff at age 80. Oberto premiered in 1839, just a few weeks after his son's death. A year later, his wife would also pass away. Verdi would later find love again with his second wife Giuseppina Strepponi, a soprano.

Listen to the Prelude of Giuseppe Verdi's La Traviata courtesy of YouTube.