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Early Childhood
Verdi was born in the small village of Roncole. Documents establish that he was baptized on October 11. Whether he was born one or two days before that remains uncertain. Roncole was at that time part of Napoleonic Italy. Thus his name in the municipal register was Joseph Fortunin François Verdi.
His family was of modest means, but provided him with a decent education. And when he showed early signs of musical talent, it was nurtured. His father purchased an old spinet for him. His keyboard skills developed as he played organ in church. By age 12 he was accepted to music school.
A Patron’s Support
Wealthy merchant and amateur musician Antonio Barezzi welcomed the young Verdi into his home. Barezzi was a key member of the local Philharmonic Society, and Verdi composed pieces for this group. Verdi gave music lessons to Barezzi’s eldest daughter, Margherita. They soon fell in love and married a few years later.
Setback in Milan
In June 1832, Verdi traveled to Milan to take the entrance examination for the Conservatory. One of the professors advised him to study instead with a teacher in the city.
Multiple factors contributed to Verdi’s rejection. He was over the age limit, he played piano with non-standard technique, he was not a resident of the province, and the Conservatory was overcrowded.
Verdi chose Vincenzo Lavigna, a professor and former La Scala musician, to be his teacher. Verdi studied with Lavigna until 1835.
“Terrible Series of Misfortunes”
Verdi had married Margherita Barezzi in May of 1836. They had a daughter, Virginia, the following year, and a son, Icilio, the year after that. Then grief struck the young family: 16-month-old Virginia died.
In Milan in 1839 with his wife and son, Verdi prepared for the premiere of his first opera, Oberto, conte di San Bonifacio (“Oberto, Count of St. Boniface”). The family struggled with money. They soon learned that Icilio had a disease the doctors could not identify. He died three weeks later. Oberto opened a few weeks after that.
Oberto was a moderate success at La Scala, earning Verdi a contract for additional operas. The next libretto he received was for an opera buffa to be performed the coming autumn. Still grieving, Verdi began work on his second opera, Un giorno di regno ("King for a Day"), a comedy. Margherita suddenly fell ill (some sources say encephalitis, others rheumatic fever) and days later she died.
Verdi, 26 years old, had lost both of his children and his wife within 2 years.
Quality Sources
Verdi was well aware of the importance of a strong libretto to the success of an opera. Thus he not only insisted on being closely involved with his librettists as they worked, but he was also discerning about the sources he chose. Many of Verdi’s operas are after works by Victor Hugo, Lord Byron, and Friedrich Schiller.
In addition, there are the operas from his favorite dramatist, Shakespeare: Macbeth, Otello, and Falstaff. Verdi also made several attempts at an opera based on King Lear, but he never completed it.
Verdi the Patriot
The Risorgimento was a movement to liberate and unify the many parts of the Italian nation. “Viva VERDI!” became a popular slogan, with VERDI being an acronym for “Vittorio Emanuele Re D’Italia.” Vittorio Emanuele became the first king of a united Italy in 1861. Verdi was closely associated with the Risorgimento, both for the patriotic themes found in his operas and for his involvement in politics. He was elected as a representative to the local parliament, and eventually to the first national parliament. He attended sessions irregularly, but served for many years. He was appointed an honorary senator in 1874.
Verdi and Wagner
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The two greatest opera composers of the 19th century were born in the same year, 1813. Their careers developed in separate countries and in separate directions. Verdi was considered the conservative, while Wagner was seen as the innovator. Late in his career, Verdi was accused of imitating Wagner’s style. The two men never met and neither seemed to appreciate the other’s work. Upon hearing Verdi’s Requiem, Cosima Wagner reported her husband’s response was, “it would certainly be best to say nothing.” |
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Verdi the Philanthropist
Late in his life, Verdi embarked on two large philanthropic projects. He funded the construction of a hospital near his estate. Also, in Milan he founded a retirement home for artists, the Casa di Riposo. He took care to ensure the home would last after his death by establishing an endowment for it. It is still in operation to this day.
Verdi’s Romanticized Recollections
Verdi helped cultivate a widespread belief that he had been an underprivileged peasant who had risen to great success against the odds. He portrayed himself as being born of illiterate parents, a poor family with no money to pay for his education. However, several letters written by Verdi’s father survive and it is known that Verdi was in school by age 4.
He also remembered the deaths of his first wife and children, what he called “the most terrible series of misfortunes” in an 1879 letter, as occurring within a two-month span, though they were actually separated by nearly two years.
 Verdi would claim that this terrible family situation, coupled with the failure of his opera Un giorno di regno (“King for a Day”), caused him to give up composing. In reality, Verdi remained active composing new music for revivals of Oberto until work began on his next opera, Nabucco.
“He died magnificently”
At the age of 87, Verdi suffered a stroke and died six days later. His close friend Arrigo Boito wrote, “He died magnificently.” Verdi’s request for a simple and private funeral could not prevent a period of national mourning and a grand procession witnessed by as many as 250,000 people. Arturo Toscanini, then 33, conducted the famous chorus from Nabucco, “Va, pensiero.”
The bodies of Verdi and Giuseppina Strepponi were moved to their final resting place at the Casa di Riposo a month after his death.
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