²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵÃâ·Ñ°æapp

Opera composer Giuseppe Verdi was born in Roncole, Italy, on October 9, 1813. His family were small landowners and innkeepers. Verdi’s interest in music was apparent early, when he began helping the local church organist at age seven.

At age twelve, he began formal studies of the organ in nearby Busseto with the main church organist, whose assistant he became four years later. At age nineteen, he tried to enter the conservatory in Milan but was not accepted. He then began formal studies with composer Vincenzo Lavigna, former La Scala musician.

When he returned to Busseto, he was denied the post of music director, but succeeded in obtaining the appointment a year later. He then married his patron’s daughter, Margherita Barezzi, in 1836. Their two children died in infancy, and she herself died in 1840 after they had moved to Milan.

Verdi’s early career was a series of failures. His first opera was refused performance in Parma, but later presented in Milan, where La Scala commissioned him to write additional operas. His next opera failed. Finally, he found success in 1842 with the premiere of Nabucco.

With his reputation now established, he traveled across Europe and the New World, writing operas which were generally well received. Many operas and plays of that era had marked political messages, and Verdi was able express his political views through his operatic libretti. He often had trouble mounting productions because of troubles with the censors.

For the next six years, he churned out eleven operas, which were premiered in all the major opera houses of Europe. His soaring melodic lines, together with dramatic and rich orchestral scoring, conveyed the full force of the somber and dramatic stories of his operas.

In 1859, he married Giuseppina Strepponi, an opera singer with whom he had been living for several years. After continued success in Paris with Sicilian Vespers, Un Ballo in Maschera, and La Forza del Destino, he returned to Busetto, where he was elected to the provincial parliament. He would later serve in the national parliament and eventually become a Senator.

After writing such tragic operas as Don Carlo, Aida, and La Traviata, he turned from opera to write the Requi in honor of the poet Manzoni. He also wrote some chamber music during this period, though none of it was very well received. He was prevailed upon to write another opera, Otello, which was completed in 1886 when he was seventy-three years old.

His last opera and only comedy was Falstaff, which he completed at age 80. He died in 1901 in Milan, revered, honored, and wealthy. At his funeral, 28,000 people lined the streets to pay homage.

Kennedy Center Education Digital Learning

Eric Friedman 
Director, Digital Learning

Kenny Neal 
Manager, Digital Education Resources

Tiffany A. Bryant 
Manager, Operations and Audience Engagement

JoDee Scissors 
Content Specialist, Digital Learning

Connect with us!

Generous support for educational programs at the Kennedy Center is provided by the U.S. Department of Education. The content of these programs may have been developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education but does not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education. You should not assume endorsement by the federal government.

Gifts and grants to educational programs at the Kennedy Center are provided by A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation; Annenberg Foundation; the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; Bank of America; Bender Foundation, Inc.; Capital One; Carter and Melissa Cafritz Trust; Carnegie Corporation of New York; DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities; Estée Lauder; Exelon; Flocabulary; Harman Family Foundation; The Hearst Foundations; the Herb Alpert Foundation; the Howard and Geraldine Polinger Family Foundation; William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust; the Kimsey Endowment; The King-White Family Foundation and Dr. J. Douglas White; Laird Norton Family Foundation; Little Kids Rock; Lois and Richard England Family Foundation; Dr. Gary Mather and Ms. Christina Co Mather; Dr. Gerald and Paula McNichols Foundation; The Morningstar Foundation;

The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; Music Theatre International; Myra and Leura Younker Endowment Fund; the National Endowment for the Arts; Newman’s Own Foundation; Nordstrom; Park Foundation, Inc.; Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; The Irene Pollin Audience Development and Community Engagement Initiatives; Prince Charitable Trusts; Soundtrap; The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust; Rosemary Kennedy Education Fund; The Embassy of the United Arab Emirates; UnitedHealth Group; The Victory Foundation; The Volgenau Foundation; Volkswagen Group of America; Dennis & Phyllis Washington; and Wells Fargo. Additional support is provided by the National Committee for the Performing Arts.

Social perspectives and language used to describe diverse cultures, identities, experiences, and historical context or significance may have changed since this resource was produced. Kennedy Center Education is committed to reviewing and updating our content to address these changes. If you have specific feedback, recommendations, or concerns, please contact us at [email protected].