Italian composer Verdi Giuseppe: biography, creativity and life story

Verdi Giuseppe, whose biography is presented in the article, is a well-known Italian composer. Years of his life - 1813-1901. A lot of immortal works created Verdi Giuseppe. The biography of this composer is certainly worthy of attention.

His work is considered the highest point of development of music of the 19th century in his native country. For more than half a century Verdi's activity as a composer has been covered. It was associated mainly with the genre of opera. The first of these Verdi created when he was 26 years old ("Oberto, Count di San Bonifacio"), and the latter he wrote at the age of 80 (Falstaff). The author of 32 operas (including new editions of works written earlier) is Verdi Giuseppe. Biography of him and to this day is of great interest, and Verdi's creations and in our time are included in the main repertoire of theaters around the world.

Origin, childhood

Giuseppe was born in Roncola. This village was in the province of Parma, which at that time was part of the Napoleonic Empire. The photo below shows the house in which the composer was born and spent his childhood. It is known that his father led grocery trade and kept a wine cellar.

The organist of the local church received the first lessons of music by Verdi Giuseppe. His biography was marked by the first important event in 1823. It was then that the future composer was sent to Busseto, a neighboring town, where he continued his studies at school. At the age of 11, Giuseppe began to show pronounced musical abilities. The boy began to perform the duties of organist in Roncola.

Giuseppe noticed A. Barezzi, a wealthy merchant from Busseto, who supplied the boy's father's shop and had a great interest in music. The future composer is obliged to this person to receive his musical education. Barezzi took him to his house, hired the best teacher for the boy and began to pay for his studies in Milan.

Giuseppe becomes a conductor, learning from V. Lavigny

At the age of 15, he was already the conductor of a small orchestra, Giuseppe Verdi. A brief biography of him continues with his arrival in Milan. Here he went to the money collected by his father's friends. Giuseppe's goal was to enter the conservatory. However, he was not admitted to this institution because of a lack of ability. Nevertheless, V. Lavigna, Milan conductor and composer, appreciated the talent of Giuseppe. He started to teach his compositions for free. Opera letter and orchestration comprehended in practice, in the opera houses of Milan Giuseppe Verdi. A brief biography of him is marked by the appearance of the first works a few years later.

The first works

Verdi from 1835 to 1838 lived in Busseto and worked in the municipal orchestra as a conductor. Giuseppe in 1837 created his first opera titled "Oberto, Count of San Bonifacio." This work was delivered after 2 years in Milan. It was a great success. By order of "La Scala", the famous Milan theater, Verdi wrote a comic opera. He called it "Imaginary Stanislav, or one day of the reign." It was staged in 1840 ("King for an hour"). Another work, the opera "Nabucco", was presented to the public in 1842 ("Nebuchadnezzar"). In it, the composer reflected the aspirations and feelings of the Italian people, who in those years began the struggle for independence, for getting rid of the Austrian yoke. The spectators saw in the sufferings of the Jewish people, caught up in captivity, an analogy with modern Italy. Active political manifestations caused a chorus of captive Jews from this work. Next opera Giuseppe, "Lombards in the crusade," also echoed calls for the overthrow of tyranny. It was staged in Milan in 1843. And in Paris in 1847 the second edition of this opera with the ballet ("Jerusalem") was presented to the public.

Living in Paris, marrying J. Strepponi

In the period from 1847 to 1849 was mainly in the French capital Giuseppe Verdi. At that time his biography and work were marked by important events. It was in the French capital that he made a new edition of the "Lombards" ("Jerusalem"). In addition, in Paris, Verdi met with his acquaintance, Giuseppina Strepponi (a portrait of her is presented above). This singer took part in the productions of "Lombards" and "Nabucco" in Milan and already in those years approached the composer. In the end, after 10 years they got married.

Characteristics of Verdi's early work

Almost all of Giuseppe's works of the first period of creativity are thoroughly permeated with patriotic sentiments, heroic pathos. They are connected with the struggle against the oppressors. This, for example, written by Hugo "Ernani" (the first production was held in Venice in 1844). Verdi created by Byron his work "The Two Foscari" (premiered in Rome in 1844). He was interested in Schiller's work. "The Maid of Orleans" was represented in Milan in 1845. In the same year in Naples the premiere of "Alzira" on Voltaire. Shakespeare's Macbeth was staged in Florence in 1847. The greatest successes from the works of this time were the operas "Macbeth", "Attila" and "Ernani". Scenic situations from these works reminded viewers of the situation in their country.

Response to the French Revolution by Giuseppe Verdi

The biography, the concise content of the works and the testimonies of the composer's contemporaries show that Verdi has responded warmly to the French revolution of 1848. He was her witness in Paris. Returning to Italy, Verdi composed "Battle of Legnano". This heroic opera was staged in Rome in 1849. The second edition of it refers to 1861 and was presented in Milan ("The Siege of Harlem"). This work describes how the Lombards fought for the unification of the country. Mazzini, an Italian revolutionary, instructed Giuseppe to write a revolutionary anthem. Thus appeared the work "The trumpet sounds."

1850s in the works of Verdi

1850s - a new period of creativity Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi. His biography was marked by the creation of operas that reflect the feelings and feelings of ordinary people. The struggle of freedom-loving personalities against bourgeois society or feudal oppression became the central theme of the composer's work of this time. It is already heard in the first operas related to this period. In 1849, in Naples, the public was introduced to "Louise Miller." This work is written in the drama "Insidiousness and Love" by Schiller. In 1850, the staging of "Stiffelio" took place in Trieste.

The theme of social inequality was deployed with even greater force in such immortal creations as Rigoletto (1851), Troubadour (1853) and Traviata (1853). The nature of music in these operas is truly popular. They showed the gift of the composer as a playwright and melodist, reflecting in the works the truth of life.

The development of the genre of "big opera"

The following creations of Verdi abut the genre of "big opera". These are historical and romantic works, such as The Sicilian Vespers (staged in Paris in 1855), The Masquerade Ball (premiered in Rome in 1859), The Power of Destiny, written by the order of the Mariinsky Theater. By the way, in connection with the staging of the last Verdi's opera in 1862, twice visited St. Petersburg. The photo below shows his portrait, made in Russia.

In 1867 appeared Don-Carlos, written by Schiller. In these operas, Giuseppe's close and beloved themes of combating oppressors and inequality are embodied in plays that abound in contrasting, spectacular scenes.

Opera "Aida"

From the opera "Aida" begins a new period of creativity Verdi. It was commissioned by the Egyptian Khedive to the composer in connection with an important event - the opening of the Suez Canal. A. Mariette-bey, a well-known Egyptologist, offered the author an interesting story in which the life of Ancient Egypt is represented. Verdi became interested in this idea. Libretista Gislanzoni worked on the libretto with Verdi. The premiere of "Aida" was held in Cairo in 1871. The success was enormous.

Later, the composer's work

After this, Giuseppe did not create new operas for 14 years. He was reviewing his old works. For example, in Milan in 1881 the premiere of the second edition of the opera "Simon Boccanegra", written in 1857 by Giuseppe Verdi, took place. About the composer they said that because of old age he can not create something new. However, he soon surprised the audience. 72-year-old Italian composer Verdi Giuseppe said that he is working on the creation of a new opera Othello. It was staged in Milan in 1887, and with the ballet in Paris in 1894. A few years later, already 80-year-old Giuseppe was present at the premiere of a new work, created also on the work of Shakespeare. It is about the production of Falstaff in Milan in 1893. Giuseppe found for Shakespearean operas wonderful librettist Boyto. In the photo below, Boito (left) and Verdi.

Giuseppe in the last three of his operas sought to expand forms, to the merging of dramatic action and music. He gave the recitative a new meaning, strengthened the role played by the orchestra in revealing the images.

Verdi's own way in music

As for the other works of Giuseppe, among them is the "Requiem". It is dedicated to the memory of A. Manzoni, the famous poet. Creativity Giuseppe is a realistic character. It was not for nothing that the composer was called the chronicler of the musical life of Europe in 1840-1890. Verdi followed the achievements of composers, contemporary to him - Donizetti, Bellini, Wagner, Meyerbeer, Gounod. However, he did not imitate Giuseppe Verdi. His biography is marked by the creation of independent works already in the early period of creativity. The composer decided to go his own way and was not mistaken. Rapid, bright, melodically rich Verdi music has become very popular all over the world. Democracy and realism of creativity, humanism and humanity, connection with the folk art of the native country - these are the main reasons why Verdi gained great fame.

On January 27, 1901, Giuseppe Verdi died in Milan. A brief biography and his work are still of interest to music lovers from all over the world.