Biography of Verdi. Giuseppe Verdi's operatic work: an overview

Biography of Verdi. Giuseppe Verdi's operatic work: an overview
Biography of Verdi. Giuseppe Verdi's operatic work: an overview
20.06.2019

Giuseppe Verdi is one of the famous Italian composers. His work is a huge contribution to the formation of the art of opera, it was the culmination of the development of Italian opera in the nineteenth century.

short biography

Giuseppe Verdi (full name Giuseppe Fortunio Francesco) was born on October 10, 1813 in the small Italian village of Le Roncole, which is located in the northern part of Lombardy. At that time, this area was part of the First French Empire, thus, according to the documents, the birthplace of Verdi is France. An interesting fact is that in the same year, Richard Wagner was born, who in the future became Verdi's main rival and one from the leading composers of the German opera school.

The early biography of Giuseppe Verdi is interesting because the parents of the future great composer were not musicians. The father kept an inn, and the mother was a spinner. The family lived very poorly, so Verdi's childhood was difficult. The first step in the introduction to music was the help of a boy in the village church. With Pietro Baistrocca, the boy learned to play the organ and musical literacy. Parents were glad of their son's craving for music and even presented him with a spinet - a small stringed instrument similar to a harpsichord. The composer kept it until the end of his life.

Meeting with Barezzi

The next step in the boy's musical career was a meeting with Antonio Barezzi, a wealthy merchant and music lover who lived in the neighboring town of Busseto. He drew attention to the gifted boy and believed that Giuseppe would not become an innkeeper or a village organist in the future. He believed that he had a great future. At the age of ten, Verdi, on the advice of Antonio Barezzi, moved to Busseto, where he continued his studies. However, his life became even more difficult. On Sundays, Verdi returned to Le Roncole, where he continued to play the organ during Mass. During these years he had a teacher of compositions - Fernando Carry, who was the director of the Philharmonic Society in the city of Busseto. At the same time, young Giuseppe is fond of the classics of world literature: Schiller, Dante, Goethe, Shakespeare. This is probably where the roots of his work come from.

Milan

Biography of Giuseppe Verdi contains information about numerous moves. At the age of eighteen, he moved to Milan to continue his education. There he tries to enter to the conservatory, to which it is not accepted due to the insufficiently high level of playing the piano. An interesting fact: now this conservatory is named after Verdi. However, Giuseppe does not despair, he learns counterpoint from a private teacher, at the same time attending opera performances and various concerts. He begins to think about a career as a composer for the theater, which he is more and more convinced by communication with the Milanese society.

A short biography of Giuseppe Verdi cannot be called, because he came a very long way before becoming famous. In 1830, Verdi returned to Busseto. Antonio Barezzi has not lost faith in his protégé, so he helps him arrange his first public appearance. Then Giuseppe becomes a music teacher for Barezzi's daughter, Margarita. Young people fall in love and get married in 1836. Soon the couple has a daughter Virginia maria Luisa and son Izilio Romano, however both children die in infancy. At this time, Verdi is working on his first opera. In 1840, the composer's wife also dies of encephalitis.

Failure and success

Both the biography and the work of Giuseppe Verdi can be briefly described as a bright series of ups and downs. The staging of the composer's first opera (Oberto, Count Bonifacio) in Milan was quite successful, after which the impresario of the Teatro alla Scala, Bartolomeo Merelli, signed a contract with Giuseppe for two operas. On time he wrote "The King for an Hour" and "Nabucco" ("Nebuchadnezzar"). However, the opera "King for an Hour" failed miserably, and Verdi, who at that time lost his wife and children, wanted to end his career as an opera composer. However, the second opera, Nabucco, which premiered on March 9, 1842, was a great success. A new stage begins in the life of Giuseppe Verdi, because it was after the premiere of Nabucco that an excellent reputation was established for him. Over the next year, the opera was staged sixty-five times, since then to this day it has not left stages of the best opera houses around the world... The next few operas were also successful in Italy.

In 1847 the opera "The Lombards" was staged at the Paris Opera. It was renamed "Jerusalem", and the composer also had to rework his work somewhat, including replacing the Italian characters with the French. The work was his first grand opera work.

Scandalous relationship

One of the highlights in the biography of Giuseppe Verdi is an affair with the singer Giuseppina Strepponi. Verdi was thirty-eight years old, and Giuseppina was ending her career. They entered into legal marriage only eleven years later, and all these years their cohabitation was condemned.

When Giuseppina stopped performing, Verdi decided to end his career with her (perhaps in this he followed the example of Gioacchino Rossini). For the first time in many years, he was happy: famous, in love, and besides, he was wealthy. At this moment, the biography and work of Giuseppe Verdi are closely intertwined. It was probably Giuseppina who convinced him to pursue a career. Perhaps under influenced by romantic flair, from which so often the inspiration of genius is drawn, he creates his first masterpiece - the opera "Rigoletto".

The libretto was rewritten several times due to inconsistency with censorship, and Verdi tried to quit working on it, but finished the work, and the very first production, which took place in 1851 in Venice, was an incredible success. Until now, "Rigoletto" is considered, perhaps, one of the best operas ever written. Verdi's artistic talent was fully revealed in this work: beautiful melodies are scattered throughout the score, ensembles and arias, which later become part of the classical opera repertoire, follow each other, tragedy and comedy merge together.

Continuing a career

Two years later, the list of famous works by Giuseppe Verdi is replenished with another masterpiece. This is the opera La Traviata, the libretto of which is based on the play The Lady of the Camellias by Alesandre Dumas the son.

Several more operas followed. One of them is "The Sicilian Supper", which is constantly performed today, it was written by Verdi for the Paris Opera. These are also the works "Troubadour", "Masquerade Ball", "The Force of Destiny" (order from Russia). "Macbeth" has undergone changes, was released in the second edition.

In 1869 the composer wrote Libera Me - part of the "Requiem" in memory of Rossini, and in 1974 the treasury of musical works by Giuseppe Verdi was replenished with his own requiem for the death of the writer Alessandro Manzoni, whose admirer was the composer.

One of the last great operas by Verdi is "Aida". The composer received an order to write it from the Egyptian government, which thus wanted to mark the opening of the Suez Canal, and at first Verdi refused. However, later, visiting Paris, he again received the same offer, but through du Locle, a librettist and impresario. This time the composer decided to familiarize himself with the script, and after that he accepted the offer.

Rivals

Biography of Giuseppe Verdi would not be complete without mentioning the rivalry with Wagner. Each of them was the leader of the opera school of their country, all their lives they competed and disliked each other, although they never met. Verdi's comments on his rival's music were few and unflattering. He said that Wagner was in vain choosing untrodden paths, trying to "fly" where it is more efficient for a person to walk. However, upon learning of Wagner's death, he was saddened, as he believed that this composer left a huge mark on the history of music. From Wagner's side, only one statement about Verdi is known. The great German composer, usually generous in criticizing other maestros, after listening to Verdi's Requiem, said that it was better not to say anything.

Last years

For the last twelve years, Verdi has worked very little, mostly editing his early works. After the death of Richard Wagner, Verdi wrote the opera "Othello" based on the play by Shakespeare. It premiered in Milan in 1887. The work is unusual in that it does not have the division into recitatives and arias, which is traditional for the Italian opera school - here one can feel the influence of Wagner's opera reform. Again, influenced by this reform, later Verdi's works became more recitative, which gave the opera the effect of realism, although fans of traditional opera were sometimes frightened off.

Also unusual was Verdi's last opera, Falstaff, the libretto of which was based on Shakespeare's The Wicked Wives of Windsor. Here the manner of "through development" is traced, thus, the work with a brilliantly written score gravitates much more towards Wagner's "Meistersingers" than to the comic operas of Mozart and Rossini. Elusive and sparkling melodies allow the development of the plot not to linger, which creates the effect of confusion, which is so close to the spirit of Shakespeare's comedy itself... The opera is crowned with a seven-part fugue in which Verdi demonstrates his magnificent mastery of counterpoint.

Death of a great composer

In 1901, on January 21, Verdi suffered a stroke. At this time he was in a hotel in Milan... The composer was paralyzed, but he read scores of the operas Tosca and La Bohème by Puccini, The Queen of Spades by Tchaikovsky and Pagliacci by Loncavallo, but what he thought of them remained unknown. Six days later, on January 27, the great Italian composer was gone. He was buried in Milan at the Monumental Cemetery, but a month later his body was reburied in the Rest House for Retired Musicians, founded by Verdi.

Stylistics

Virtually every composer has a known influence from colleagues or predecessors. Giuseppe Verdi's music was no exception. In his early works, the influence of Rossini, Bellini, Meyerbeer and especially Donizetti can be traced. In the last two operas (Falstaff and Othello), the influence of his main opponent - Richard Wagner. Many of his contemporaries were influenced by Gounod, but Verdi borrowed nothing from the great Frenchman, whom many considered the greatest creator of the era. In the opera "Aida" there are passages in which one can trace the acquaintance with the work of Mikhail Glinka.

Orchestra and solo parts

Giuseppe Verdi's works sometimes have not too complicated orchestration. It is he who is credited with the phrase that the orchestra is a big guitar. The composer relied on his melodic gift to describe the feelings and emotions of the characters. Often, during the sounding of solo vocal parts, the orchestration is very ascetic, the whole orchestra becomes one accompanying instrument. Some critics believed that this was the result of a lack of education of the composer himself, however, having listened to many of his works, we can easily be convinced of the opposite. Certain innovations are also characteristic of Verdi's work, which other composers have never borrowed because of their strong recognition (for example, strings flying up the chromatic scale).

JUZEPPE VERDI

ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: LIBRA

NATIONALITY: ITALIAN

MUSICAL STYLE: ROMANCE

SIGNATURE WORK: VIOLETTA'S ARIA "ALWAYS FREE" FROM THE OPERA "TRAVIATA" (1853)

WHERE YOU COULD HEAR THIS MUSIC: VIOLETTA'S ARIA BROUGHT FROM RICHARD GIRA'S LIMOUSINE IN THE FINAL BEAUTY

WISE WORDS: "NOW, INSTEAD TO MAKE NOTES, I CREATE CABBAGE AND BEANS."

Classical music of the mid-nineteenth century is usually described as a battle between romantics and traditionalists: the Liszt / Wagner army against Brahms. However, there was also a third path, laid on the other side of the Alps, the path of Giuseppe Verdi.

Verdi, not paying too much attention to his colleagues, created beautiful operas with catchy melodies. The audience left the premiere of Verdi's opera singing the music they had just heard, and the very next morning all the street singers and musicians played these new hits. Neither Wagner's epic tragedies nor Brahms's intellectual symphonies have ever achieved this degree of popularity.

But how did the composer manage to do this? What's the secret? And the fact that Verdi remained true to his roots. He was born in the village and never lost touch with his native Parma. Even at the zenith of his fame, Verdi would rush to his country house every autumn to take part in the harvest. It does not at all follow from this that Verdi was simpler or that his music was of inferior quality than that of his illustrious contemporaries. Verdi knew his business very well. He just didn't see the point in musical wars. And what's the bottom line? And such that his music is still purring under their breaths by all sorts of people.

IT IS POSSIBLE TO REMOVE THE BOY FROM A BOY

Several generations of the Verdi family have cultivated the land near the town of Busseto in northern Italy. Giuseppe Verdi, the only son of Carlo Giuseppe Verdi and Luigi Uttini, was born on 9 - or, according to other sources, 10 - October 1813. The boy was fascinated by music from childhood, and by the age of six, his parents had come to believe in their son's talent so much that they saved up money for a second-hand spinet under austerity. Giuseppe soon became organist in Busseto and the driving force behind the local Philharmonic Society.

By 1833, the opinion matured in the town that it was time for Giuseppe to broaden his horizons, and the twenty-year-old boy went to Milan to enter the conservatory. The Milan Conservatory accepted students no older than seventeen years old, but no one even thought that age would become a problem, because Giuseppe is so talented. However, after numerous auditions, the examination committee made a balanced decision: the young man "will not rise above mediocrity in music." Verdi was desperate.

In Busseto, where he returned, a quarrel broke out over the position of conductor of the city orchestra. Verdi's supporters predicted him for this place, but local priests nominated their candidacy. The city split into two warring camps, in taverns it came to fights. Verdi soon got tired of all this, he got ready to go to Milan, but his admirers refused to give up and locked Verdi in his own house. The parties were reconciled only after Verdi met his rival face to face in a piano duel.

The position of "maestro of music" strengthened Verdi's financial position so much that he was able to marry his beloved Margarita Barezzi. A year later, they had a daughter, and a year later, a son. Verdi became a local celebrity, but his ambition drew him outside Busseto. In the fall of 1838, he resigned and moved with his family to Milan, where in 1839 his first opera, Oberto, Count Bonifacio, premiered. This debut did not end with a triumph, but also with failure, and critics predicted a bright future for the young composer.

HITS? They somehow appear by themselves

During these years, Verdi experienced a huge loss. Shortly before the family left Busseto, the composer's daughter, Virginia, died; shortly after the premiere of Oberto, his son Izilio died. Then, in 1840, Margarita died after a short illness. Since then, the composer has gone at random. His second opera, The King for an Hour, failed miserably, after the premiere it was no longer staged. Verdi vowed that he would not write anything else.

Then the opera impresario Mirelli gave the composer a fresh libretto based on the biblical account of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, or Nabucco, as the Italians call him. Verdi threw the libretto in a corner and did not touch it for five months. But in the end he took it in his hands, leafed through it ... Later he recalled: “Today - one stanza, tomorrow - another; here - one note, there - a whole phrase - so little by little the whole opera arose. "

Nabucco was staged in March 1842 at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan. At the very first performance, the audience lifted the opera to the skies, after the first act, the audience became so noisy that Verdi was frightened: in these screams he fancied not ardent gratitude, but angry discontent.

Finally, Verdi has gained professional confidence. He called the subsequent years "years in the galleys," and indeed Verdi worked like a slave. Not a single production was complete without the capricious antics of the soloists, quarrels with the theater management and altercations with censors. Nevertheless, Verdi gave one masterpiece after another: "Rigoletto" in 1851, "Troubadour" in January 1853, "La Traviata" in March 1853 and "Force of Destiny" in 1862. Any Italian knew his music, all Venetian gondoliers and Neapolitan street singers sang his arias, and premieres in different cities usually ended with local orchestras playing new favorite melodies under the windows of the hotel where the composer stayed.

SMALL BUT Proud

Verdi began a relationship with the Milanese singer Giuseppina Strepponi. Giuseppina had not only a divine voice, but also a bad reputation - an unmarried soprano four times and not in a row, but with time intervals, appeared on stage clearly pregnant. (She sent her children to orphanages.)

It's one thing to rub shoulders with the infamous singer in Milan, and quite another in the countryside. In Busseto, Verdi acquired an impressive estate, built a villa called "Sant'Agata" and every year, during the harvest and procurement period, he strictly visited the village. But the bucolic charm did not prevent Busseto from remaining a conservative province, and the residents were offended when Verdi brought his mistress to their respectable town. At the first visit of Giuseppina to Busseto, Verdi's son-in-law reproached him with the fact that he settled a prostitute in the house, and some unknown "well-wishers" threw stones at the windows of the villa.

Verdi and Strepponi were married in 1859 - no one knows why they delayed the wedding for so long. However, Busseto remained adamant, so in the long summer months Signore Verdi in the village, except for the servants, had no one to say a word to.

VIVA ITALY!

If in little Busseto almost nothing has changed, in the rest of Italy there have been significant shifts. When Verdi began his career, the Italian peninsula was divided into many small states, and most of northern Italy was controlled by Austria. Verdi's name has been associated with anti-Austrian sentiments since 1842, or rather, since the premiere of Nabucco: in the chorus of Jews "Fly, Thought, on Golden Wings" - the cry of Jewish exiles turned into slavery for their lost homeland - the patriots heard a protest against Austrian rule ...

WHEN VERY BROUGHT YOUR LIVING WOMAN TO THE VILLAGE - THE OPERA SINGER WITH A DUVIOUS REPUTATION - THE IRRITATED PEASANTS THROWNED STONES IN HIS HOUSE, CALLING THE SINGER A PROSTITUTE.

The desire to drive out foreign rulers and unite the country gained power when the king of the Sardinian Kingdom (Piedmont), Victor Emmanuel II, who advocated the unification of Italy, stood at the head of the national liberation forces. From that moment on, the names of the king and Verdi were intertwined: the seemingly innocent exclamation "Viva Verdi!" (“Long live Verdi!”) In the lips of the patriots sounded a disguised call to fight the Austrians (the letter combination VERDI was deciphered as “long live Victor Emmanuel, King of Italy”).

Years of efforts were crowned with success - in 1861 Italy united. Verdi was immediately offered to run for the Italian parliament; he easily won the mandate and served as a deputy for one term. Until the end of his life, Verdi was honored as the composer of the Risorgimento (Renovations), a movement that brought unity and independence to Italy.

COMPOSER - ALWAYS A COMPOSER

In the sixth decade, Verdi slowed down, announcing that he was going on a well-deserved rest. However, old age did not prevent him from writing Aida in 1871, Othello in 1887 and Falstaff in 1893 - that is, at seventy-nine years old. They continued to shower him with honors. Verdi was appointed senator, King Umberto I presented him with the insignia of the Grand Cross of the Order of San Maurizio and Lazzaro. (The king even offered him the title of marquis, but Verdi refused, modestly remarking: "I am a peasant."

However, neither awards nor honor saved Giuseppina from troubles: in the mid-1870s, Verdi began an affair with the singer Teresa Stolz. By 1877, passions were white-hot, and Verdi, faced with a choice, preferred his wife to his mistress. In the 1890s, Giuseppina often fell ill and died in November 1897.

The widower, who was in his eighties, remained alert and agile until January 1901, when he suffered a stroke while in Milan. The news of Verdi's disease instantly spread throughout Italy. The manager of the hotel where Verdi was staying showed off all the other guests, sent representatives of the press to the first floor and personally posted bulletins about the composer's well-being on the doors of the establishment. The police blocked traffic around the hotel so that the patient did not suffer from the noise, and the king and queen received hourly telegraphic messages about changes in Verdi's condition. The composer died at 2:50 am on January 27th. On that day, many shops in Milan did not open as a sign of mourning.

Time has not damaged Verdi's legacy, his operas remain incredibly popular - all as exciting and melodious as on the day of the premiere.

NOBODY DARE OF OFFENING OUR MAESTRO!

Most Italians greeted everything that Verdi composed with enthusiasm, but some were more difficult to please. One of the viewers did not like the premiere of Aida so much that he counted the thirty-two lira spent on train and theater tickets, as well as dinner at a restaurant, money wasted, and he informed the composer in writing and demanded reimbursement of expenses. The name of the sender of this letter was Prospero Bertani.

Verdi reacted to Bertani's claims with humor rather than indignation. He told his agent to send the complainant twenty-seven lire to cover the train and theater expenses, but not lunch. “I could have eaten at home,” said Verdi. He also asked the agent to publish this correspondence in print. Fans, outraged by the attacks on their beloved maestro, filled up Signor Bertani with letters, and some even threatened to deal with him.

ENOUGH TO WORSHIP ALREADY!

Once a friend of Verdi came to visit him in the village and was surprised to find in the composer's villa dozens of barrel organs and mechanical pianos, which are usually played by street musicians. “When I came here,” explained Verdi, “from all the organ-organs in the neighborhood, from morning to night, melodies from“ Rigoletto ”,“ Troubadour ”and my other operas sounded. This annoyed me so much that I rented all the instruments for the summer. I had to pay about a thousand francs, but in any case I was left alone. "

MYSTERIOUS "BEAUTY"

Composing the aria "The Heart of a Beauty" for the opera "Rigoletto", Verdi felt that he was creating a new hit, but he really did not want the audience to hear this melody before the premiere. Handing the notes to the tenor, the composer took him aside and said: "Promise that you will not perform this aria at home, you will not even whistle it - in short, make sure that no one hears it." Of course, the tenor's promise was not enough for him, and before rehearsals, Verdi turned to all the participants in the performance - orchestra members, singers and even stage workers - with a request to keep the aria a secret. As a result, at the premiere, "The Heart of a Beauty" stunned the audience with its novelty and instantly gained enormous popularity.

EVERYONE KNOWS WHO YOU ARE

All of Italy knew Verdi, and this great fame had a positive effect on everyday little things - for example, the problem of the postal address was eliminated. When Verdi invited a new acquaintance to send him some thing by mail, he asked his address. “Oh, my address is very simple,” the composer replied. - Maestro Verdi, Italy.

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Giuseppe was born on October 10, 1813 in the village of Roncole, located near the town of Busseto and 25 kilometers from Parma. Verdi grew up in a poor family, his father traded in wine in the town of La Renzole in northern Italy.

Antonio Barezzi played an important role in the fate of Giuseppe. He was a merchant, but music played a big part in his life.

Barezzi recruited Verdi into the service of a clerk and accountant for commercial affairs. The office work was boring, but not burdensome; but a lot of time was absorbed by work on the musical part: Verdi diligently rewrote the scores and parts, participated in rehearsals, helped amateur musicians learn the parts.

Among the Busset musicians, the leading place was occupied by Ferdinando Provezi, a cathedral organist, conductor of the Philharmonic Orchestra, composer and theorist. He introduced Verdi to the basics of composition and conducting techniques, enriched his musical theoretical knowledge, and helped him improve his organ playing. Convinced of the young man's great musical talent, he predicted a brilliant future for him.

Verdi's first composer's experiments date back to the time of classes with Provezi. However, the young musician's writing was of an amateur nature and added almost nothing to his meager means of subsistence. It was time to take a more spacious creative path, but for this it was necessary to learn a lot. So the idea arose of entering the Milan Conservatory - one of the best in Italy. The funds necessary for this were allocated by the Busset "cash aid for those in need," on which Barezzi insisted: for a trip to Milan and conservatory studies (during the first two years), Verdi received a scholarship of 600 lire. This amount was somewhat replenished by Barezzi from personal funds.

In the late spring of 1832, Verdi came to Milan, the largest city in northern Italy, the capital of Lombardy. However, Verdi suffered a bitter disappointment: he was flatly refused admission to the conservatory.

When the doors of the Milan Conservatory slammed shut for Verdi, his first concern was to find a knowledgeable and experienced teacher among the city's musicians. From the persons recommended to him, he chose the composer Vincenzo Lavigna. He willingly agreed to study with Verdi and the first thing that he did for him was the opportunity to attend La Scala performances free of charge.

Many performances were performed with the participation of the best artistic forces of the country. It is not hard to imagine with what delight young Verdi listened to famous singers and singers. He also attended other Milanese theaters, as well as rehearsals and concerts of the Philharmonic Society.

Once the Society decided to perform the oratorio "Creation of the World" by the great Austrian composer Joseph Haydn. But it so happened that none of the conductors came to the rehearsal, and all the performers were in their places and expressed impatience. Then the head of the Society P. Mazini turned to Verdi, who was in the hall, with a request to help him out of the awkward situation. What followed next - says the composer himself in his autobiography.

“I quickly went to the piano and started rehearsal. I remember very well the ironic ridicule with which they greeted me ... My young face, my skinny appearance, my poor clothes - all this inspired little respect. But be that as it may, the rehearsal continued, and I myself gradually became inspired. I no longer limited myself to accompaniment, but began to conduct with my right hand, playing with my left. When the rehearsal was over, they paid me compliments from all sides ... As a result of this incident, the conducting of Haydn's concert was entrusted to me. The first public performance was so successful that it was immediately necessary to organize a repetition in the large hall of the noble club, which was attended ... by the entire high society of Milan. "

So for the first time, Verdi was noticed in the musical Milan. One count even ordered him a cantata for his family celebration. Verdi fulfilled the order, but “His Excellency” did not reward the composer with a single lyre.

But then came the long-awaited and joyful moment in the life of the young composer: he received an order for an opera - the first opera! This order was made by Mazini, who not only directed the Philharmonic Society, but was also the director of the so-called Philodramatic Theater. Libretto by A. Piazza, substantially revised by librettist F. Soler, formed the basis of Verdi's first opera Oberto. True, the order for the opera was not completed as soon as desired ...

The years of study in Milan ended. It's time to head back to Busseto and work off the town's scholarship. Soon after his return, Verdi was approved as the conductor of the city commune ... Verdi devoted a lot of time to directing the Philharmonic Orchestra and studying with its musicians.

In the spring of 1836, Verdi's wedding to Margarita Barezzi took place, solemnly celebrated by the Busset Philharmonic Society. Soon Verdi became a father: in March 1837, the daughter of Virginia, and in July 1838, the son of Ichiliao.

During the years 1835-1838, Verdi composed a huge number of works of small form - marches (up to 100!), Dances, songs, romances, choirs and others.

His main creative powers were concentrated on the opera "Oberto". The composer was so eager to see his opera on stage that, having finished the score, he rewrote all the vocal and orchestral parts with his own hand. Meanwhile, the term of the contract with the Busset commune was coming to an end. In Busseto, where there was no permanent opera house, the composer could no longer stay. Having moved with his family to Milan, Verdi began energetic efforts to stage Oberto. By this time, Mazini, who ordered the opera, was no longer the director of the Philodramatic Theater, and Lavigna, who could have been very useful, died.

Masini, who believed in Verdi's talent and great future, provided invaluable assistance in this regard. He enlisted the support of influential people. The premiere was scheduled for the spring of 1839, but due to illness of one of the leading performers, it was postponed to late autumn. During this time, the libretto and music were partially reworked.

The premiere of "Oberto" took place on November 17, 1839 and was a great success. This was largely due to the brilliant cast of the performance.

The opera was a success - not only in Milan, but also in Turin, Genoa and Naples, where it was soon staged. But these years turn out to be tragic for Verdi: he loses one after another daughter, son and beloved wife. “I was alone! One! .. - wrote Verdi. "And in the midst of this terrible agony, I had to finish a comic opera." It is not surprising that the composer did not succeed in "King for an Hour". The performance was booed. The collapse of his personal life and the failure of the opera struck down Verdi. He didn't want to write anymore.

But one winter evening, wandering aimlessly through the streets of Milan, Verdi met Merelli. After talking with the composer, Merelli took him to the theater and almost forcibly handed him a manuscript libretto for the new opera Nebuchadnezzar. “Here is Soler's libretto! - said Merelli. - Think about what you can make of such a wonderful material. Take it and read it ... and you can bring it back ... "

Although Verdi definitely liked the libretto, he returned it to Merelli. But the latter did not want to hear about the refusal and, thrusting the libretto into the composer's pocket, unceremoniously pushed it out of the office and locked it with a key.

“What was to be done? - recalled Verdi. - I returned home with Nabucco in my pocket. Today - one stanza, tomorrow - another; here - one note, there - a whole phrase - so little by little the whole opera arose. "

But, of course, these words should not be taken literally: operas are not so easy to create. It was only thanks to enormous, hard work and creative inspiration that Verdi was able to finish the large score of Nebuchadnezzar in the fall of 1841.

The premiere of "Nebuchadnezzar" took place on March 9, 1842 at La Scala - with the participation of the best singers and singers. According to the testimony of contemporaries, such stormy and enthusiastic applause has not been heard in the theater for a long time. At the end of the action, the audience rose from their seats and warmly greeted the composer. At first, he even considered it as an evil mockery: after all, only a year and a half ago, he was so mercilessly booed here for the "Imaginary Stanislav." And suddenly - such a grandiose, stunning success! Until the end of 1842, the opera was performed 65 times (!) - an exceptional phenomenon in the history of La Scala.

The reason for the triumphant success lay primarily in the fact that in "Nebuchadnezzar", in spite of its biblical plot, Verdi was able to express the most cherished thoughts and aspirations of his compatriot patriots.

After the staging of Nebuchadnezzar, the stern, unsociable Verdi changed and began to visit the society of the progressive Milanese intelligentsia. This society constantly gathered in the house of an ardent patriot of Italy - Clarina Maffei. With her, Verdi developed friendly relations for many years, captured in the correspondence that lasted until her death. Clarina's husband, Andrea Maffei, was a poet and translator. Verdi composed two romances based on his poems, and later on his own libretto - the opera "The Robbers" based on Schiller's drama. The composer's connection with the Maffei society had a great influence on the final formation of his political and creative ideals.

Among the poets of the Renaissance and A. Manzoni's closest friends was Tommaso Grossi, the author of satirical poems, dramas and other works. Based on one of the sections of the famous poem "Jerusalem Liberated" by the outstanding Italian poet Torquato Tasso Grossi, he wrote the poem "Giselda". This poem served as material for Soler's opera libretto, on which Verdi wrote the next, fourth opera, entitled "The Lombards in the First Crusade."

But just as in "Nebuchadnezzar" the biblical Jews meant modern Italians, so in the "Lombards" the crusaders meant the patriots of modern Italy.

This "encryption" of the idea of ​​the opera soon determined the tremendous success of the "Lombards" throughout the country. However, the patriotic essence of the opera did not escape the attention of the Austrian authorities: they obstructed the production and allowed it only after changes in the libretto.

The premiere of "The Lombards" took place at the Teatro alla Scala on February 11, 1843. The performance turned into a vivid political demonstration, which greatly alarmed the Austrian authorities. The final chorus of the Crusaders was perceived as a passionate call for the Italian people to fight for the freedom of their homeland. After the staging in Milan, the triumphal procession of "Lombards" began in other cities of Italy and European countries, and it was staged in Russia as well.

"Nebuchadnezzar" and "Lombards" made Verdi famous throughout Italy. Opera houses one after another began to offer him orders for new operas. One of the first orders was made by the Venetian theater "La Fenice", giving the choice of the plot at the discretion of the composer and recommending the librettist Francesco Piave, who has since become one of Verdi's main collaborators and closest friends for many years. A number of his subsequent operas, including such masterpieces as Rigoletto and La Traviata, were written in Piave's libretto.

Having accepted the order, the composer set about searching for a plot. After going through several literary works, he settled on the drama "Hernani" by the French writer, playwright and poet Victor Hugo, who had already won European fame with his novel Notre Dame Cathedral.

The drama "Hernani", first staged in Paris in February 1830, is imbued with a freedom-loving spirit, romantic emotion. Working on Ernani with passion, the composer wrote the score for a four-act opera in a few months. The premiere of "Hernani" took place on March 9, 1844 at the Venetian theater "La Fenice". The success has been tremendous. The plot of the opera, its ideological content turned out to be consonant with the Italians: the noble appearance of the persecuted Ernani reminded of patriots expelled from the country, in the chorus of conspirators there was a call to fight for the liberation of the homeland, the glorification of knightly honor and valor awakened a sense of patriotic duty. Hernani's performances turned into vibrant political demonstrations.

During those years, Verdi developed an extremely intense creative activity: the premiere followed the premiere. Less than eight months after the premiere of Hernani, on November 3, 1844, the first performance of the new, already sixth, opera by Verdi, The Two Foscari, took place at the Argentina Theater in Rome. The literary source for her was the tragedy of the same name by the great English poet and playwright George-Gordon Byron.

After Byron, Verdi's attention was drawn to the great German poet and playwright Friedrich Schiller, namely, his historical tragedy The Maid of Orleans. The heroic and at the same time touching image of the patriotic girl, embodied in Schiller's tragedy, inspired Verdi to create the opera Giovanna d'Arco (libretto by Soler). It was premiered at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan on February 15, 1845. At first, the opera was a rather resounding success - mainly thanks to the famous young prima donna Erminia Fredzolini, who played the main role, but as soon as this role passed to other performers, interest in the opera cooled, and she left the stage.

Soon a new premiere took place - the opera Alzira - based on the tragedy of Voltaire. Neapolitan theatergoers quite amicably applauded the new opera, but its success was also short-lived.

Attila is the title of Verdi's next opera. The material for her libretto was the tragedy of the German playwright Tsacharias Werner - "Attila - King of the Huns".

The premiere of Attila, which took place on March 17, 1846 at the Venetian theater La Fenice, was held with an ardent patriotic enthusiasm for performers and listeners. A storm of enthusiasm and shouts - "For us, for us Italy!" - the phrase of the Roman commander Aetius, addressed to Attila, called out: "Take the whole world for yourself, only Italy, leave Italy to me!"

From his youth, Verdi admired Shakespeare's genius - he enthusiastically read and re-read his tragedies, dramas, historical chronicles, comedies, and also attended their performances. His cherished dream - to compose an opera based on a Shakespearean plot - he realized at the age of 34: he chose the tragedy Macbeth as a literary source for his next, tenth opera.

The premiere of Macbeth took place on March 14, 1847 in Florence. The opera was a great success both here and in Venice, where it was soon staged. The scenes of Macbeth, in which the patriots act, aroused great enthusiasm in the audience. One of the scenes, where it is sung about a devoted homeland, especially captivated the audience; so when staging Macbeth in Venice, they, seized by a single patriotic impulse, with a powerful chorus picked up the melody with the words "They betrayed their homeland ..."

In the middle of the summer of 1847, London hosted the premiere of the composer's next opera, The Robbers, based on the drama of the same name by F. Schiller.

After London, Verdi lived in Paris for several months. The historic year 1848 came, when a powerful revolutionary wave swept across Europe. In January (even before the start of revolutions in other countries!), A grandiose popular uprising broke out in Sicily, more precisely, in its capital, Palermo.

In close connection with the revolutionary events of 1848 is the creation by the composer of the outstanding heroic-patriotic opera "The Battle of Legnano". But even before her, Verdi managed to complete the opera Le Corsaire (libretto by Piave based on the poem of the same name by Byron).

In contrast to Le Corsaire, the opera Battle of Legnano was a resounding success. The plot, drawn from the heroic past of the Italian people, resurrected on the stage a historical event: the defeat in 1176 by the united Lombard troops of the conquering army of the German emperor Friedrich Barbarossa.

The performances of the Battle of Legnano, held in a theater decorated with national flags, were accompanied by vivid patriotic demonstrations by the Romans who proclaimed a republic in February 1849.

Less than a year after the Roman premiere of The Battle of Legnano, in December 1849, Verdi's new opera Louise Miller was staged at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples. Its literary source is Schiller's "philistine drama" Treachery and Love, directed against class inequality and princely despotism.

"Louise Miller" is Verdi's first lyrical and everyday opera, in which ordinary people are the protagonists. After the production in Naples, Louise Miller went around a number of stages in Italy and other countries.

Verdi was tired of leading a nomadic lifestyle, he wanted to firmly settle somewhere, especially since he was no longer alone. Just at this time, in the vicinity of Busseto, a rather rich estate of Sant'Agata was on sale. Verdi, who then had significant funds, bought it and at the beginning of 1850 moved here with his wife for permanent residence.

An ebullient composer's activity forced Verdi to travel around Europe, but Sant'Agata since then became his favorite residence until the end of his life. Only the winter months the composer preferred to spend either in Milan or in the seaside city of Genoa - in the Palazzo Dorna.

The first opera composed in Sant'Agata was Stiffelio, the fifteenth in Verdi's creative portfolio.

While working on Stiffelio, Verdi considered plans for future operas and partly sketched music for them. Even then, he was already considered one of the greatest composers, but the highest flowering of his work was only approaching: there were operas ahead, which brought him the glory of the "musical ruler of Europe."

Rigoletto, Troubadour and La Traviata became the most popular operas in the world. Created one after another in less than a two-year period, close to each other in the nature of the music, they form a kind of trilogy.

Literary source "Rigoletto" - one of the best tragedies by Victor Hugo "The King is Amused". First presented in Paris on November 2, 1832, immediately after the premiere, by order of the government, the opera was excluded from the repertoire - as a play "offensive to morality", since the author denounced in it the dissolute French king of the first half of the 16th century, Francis I.

After retiring to Busseto, Verdi worked so hard that he wrote an opera in 40 days. The premiere of "Rigoletto" took place on March 11, 1851 at the Venetian theater "La Fenice", commissioned by which the opera was composed. The performance was a huge success, and the Duke's song, as the composer expected, made a splash. Leaving the theater, the audience hummed or whistled her playful tune.

After the opera was staged, the composer said: "I am pleased with myself and I think that I will never write a better one." Until the end of his life, he considered Rigoletto his best opera. It was appreciated by both Verdi's contemporaries and subsequent generations. Rigoletto is still one of the most popular operas in the whole world.

After the premiere of Rigoletto, Verdi almost immediately set about developing the script for the next opera, The Troubadour. However, it took about two years until this opera saw the light of the stage. The reasons that impeded the work were different: the death of a beloved mother, and troubles with the censorship associated with the production of Rigoletto in Rome, and the sudden death of Cammarano, whom Verdi recruited to work on the libretto of Troubadour.

Only by the autumn of 1852 the unfinished libretto was completed by L. Bardare. Months of hard work passed, and on December 14 of the same year the composer wrote to Rome, where the premiere was planned: “... The Troubadour is completely finished: all the notes are in place, and I am satisfied. Enough for the Romans to be happy! "

The Troubadour premiered at the Apollo Theater in Rome on January 19, 1853. Although in the morning the Tiber, raging and overflowing from the banks, almost disrupted the premiere. Not even seven weeks had passed since the Roman premiere of Troubadour, when on March 6, 1853, Verdi's new opera La Traviata was staged at the Venetian theater La Fenice.

Using rich vocal and orchestral means of expression, Verdi created a new kind of opera. La Traviata is a deeply true psychological musical drama from the life of contemporaries - ordinary people. For the middle of the 19th century, this was new and bold, since earlier historical, biblical, mythological plots prevailed in operas. Verdi's innovations were not to the liking of ordinary theatergoers. The first Venetian production was a complete failure.

On March 6, 1854, the second Venetian premiere took place, this time at the Teatro San Benedetto. The opera was a success: the audience not only understood it, but also loved it dearly. Soon La Traviata became the most popular opera in Italy and other countries of the world. It is characteristic that Verdi himself, when asked once which of his operas he loves most, replied that as a professional he puts Rigoletto higher, but as an amateur he prefers La Traviata.

In the years 1850-1860, Verdi's operas were performed on all major stages in Europe. For St. Petersburg, the composer writes the opera "The Force of Destiny", for Paris - "Sicilian Vespers", "Don Carlos", for Naples - "Masquerade Ball".

The best of these operas is Masquerade Ball. The fame of the Masquerade Ball quickly spread throughout Italy and far beyond its borders; he has taken a firm place in the world opera repertoire.

Another Verdi's opera, The Force of Destiny, was commissioned by the management of the St. Petersburg imperial theaters. This opera was intended for the Italian troupe, which has performed continuously in St. Petersburg since 1843 and enjoyed exceptional success. The premiere took place on November 10, 1862. Petersburgers warmly greeted the renowned composer. On November 15, he wrote in a letter to one of his friends: "There were three performances ... in a crowded theater and with excellent success."

In the late 1860s, Verdi received an offer from the Egyptian government to write for the new theater in Cairo an opera with a patriotic storyline from Egyptian life to embellish the opening of the Suez Canal. The unusualness of the proposal at first puzzled the composer, and he refused to accept it; but when in the spring of 1870 he got acquainted with the script developed by the French scientist (specialist in ancient Egyptian culture) A. Mariette, he was so carried away by the plot that he accepted the offer.

The opera was largely completed by the end of 1870. The premiere was originally scheduled for the winter season of 1870-1871, but due to the tense international situation (Franco-Prussian war) it had to be postponed.

The Cairo premiere of Aida took place on December 24, 1871. According to Academician B. V. Asafiev, "it was one of the most brilliant and enthusiastic performances in the entire history of opera."

In the spring of 1872, Aida began its triumphal march through other Italian opera stages, and soon it became famous throughout Europe, including Russia, and in America. From now on, they began to talk about Verdi as a genius composer. Even those professional musicians and critics who treated Verdi's music with prejudice now recognized the composer's enormous talent, his exceptional services in the field of operatic art. Tchaikovsky recognized the creator of "Aida" as a genius and said that Verdi's name should be inscribed on the tablets of history next to the greatest names.

The melodic richness of "Aida" amazes with its richness and variety. In no other opera did Verdi display such a generous and inexhaustible melodic ingenuity as here. At the same time, the melodies of "Aida" are marked by exceptional beauty, expressiveness, nobility, originality; in them there is not even a trace of the cliche, routine, "charm", which were often sinned by old Italian opera composers, and even Verdi himself in the early and partly middle periods of creativity. In May 1873, Verdi, who was then living in Sant'Agata, was deeply saddened by the news of the death of 88-year-old Alessandro Manzoni. Verdi's love and respect for this patriotic writer was boundless. In order to adequately honor the memory of his glorious compatriot, the composer decided to create a Requiem on the first anniversary of his death. It took Verdi no more than ten months to create the Requiem, and on May 22, 1874, it was first performed under the direction of the author in Milan's St. Mark's Church. The richness and expressiveness of melody, freshness and boldness of harmonies, colorful orchestration, harmony of form, mastery of polyphonic technique put Verdi's Requiem among the most outstanding works of this genre.

The formation of a unified Italian state did not live up to the hopes of Verdi, like many other patriots. The composer's political reaction evoked deep bitterness. Verdi's fears were also caused by the musical life of Italy: neglect of national classics, blind imitation of Wagner, whose work Verdi greatly appreciated. A new upsurge came for the aged author in the 1880s. At the age of 75, he began writing an opera based on the plot of Shakespeare's Othello. Opposite feelings - passion and love, loyalty and intrigue are conveyed in her with tremendous psychological authenticity. Othello brings together all that genius that Verdi has achieved in his life. The music world was overwhelmed. But this opera did not at all become the finale of the creative path. When Verdi was already 80 years old, he wrote a new masterpiece - the comic opera Falstaff based on Shakespeare's play Windsor Ridiculous - a work so perfect, realistic, with an amazing polyphonic ending - a fugue, that it was immediately recognized as the highest achievement of world opera.

On September 10, 1898, Verdi turned 85 years old. “... My name smells like the era of mummies - I myself dry up when I just mutter this name to myself,” he admitted sadly. The quiet and slow extinction of the composer's vitality continued for more than two years.

Soon after mankind solemnly met the XX century, Verdi, who lived in a Milan hotel, was struck with paralysis and a week later, early in the morning on January 27, 1901, at the age of 88, died. National mourning was declared throughout Italy.

1.young green

Giuseppe Verdi once said:
When I was eighteen years old, I considered myself great and said:
"I AM".
When I was twenty-five years old, I began to say:
"Me and Mozart".
When I turned forty, I said:
"Mozart and me".
Now I say:
"Mozart".

2.the error came out ...

Once a nineteen-year-old boy came to the conductor of the Milan Conservatory and asked to be examined. In the entrance exam, he played his compositions on the piano. A few days later the young man received a stern answer: "Leave the thought of the conservatory. And if you really want to study music, look for some private teacher among the city musicians ..."
Thus, the untalented young man was put in his place, and it happened in 1832. And after a few decades, the Milan Conservatory passionately sought the honor of bearing the name of the musician it had once rejected. This name is Giuseppe Verdi.

3.Give a round of applause! ...

Verdi once said:
- Applause is an integral part of some types of music and should be written into the score.

4. I say "mozart"!

Once, Verdi, already whitened with gray hair and famous all over the world, talked with one aspiring composer. The composer was eighteen years old. He was completely convinced of his own genius and all the time spoke only of himself and his music.
Verdi listened to the young genius for a long time and attentively, and then said with a smile:
- My dear young friend! When I was eighteen years old, I also considered myself a great musician and said: "I am". When I was twenty-five years old, I said, "Me and Mozart." When I was forty years old, I already said: "Mozart and me." And now I just say: "Mozart".

5. I will not tell!

One aspiring musician tried for a long time to get Verdi to listen to his play and express his opinion. Finally, the composer agreed. At the appointed hour, the young man came to Verdi. He was a tall young man, apparently endowed with tremendous physical strength. But he played very badly ...
Having finished playing, the guest asked Verdi to express his opinion.
- Just tell me the whole truth! the young man said resolutely, clenching his pood fists in excitement.
- I can't, - Verdi answered with a sigh.
- But why?
- I'm afraid...

6.not a day without a line

Verdi always carried a music book with him, in which he wrote down his musical impressions of the day he had lived every day. In these peculiar diaries of the great composer one could find amazing things: from any sounds, be it the shouts of an ice cream maker on a hot street or the calls of the boatman for a ride, the exclamations of builders and other working people, or children's crying, Verdi extracted a musical theme from everything! As a senator, Verdi once surprised his senate friends a lot. On four sheets of music paper, he very recognizably transposed in a complicated long fugue ... the speeches of temperamental legislators!

7.good sign

Having finished work on the opera "Troubadour", Giuseppe Verdi most kindly invited a rather mediocre music critic, his great ill-wisher, to acquaint him with some of the most important fragments of the opera. - Well, and how do you like my new opera? - asked the composer, rising from the piano.
- Frankly speaking, - the critic said resolutely, - all this seems to me rather flat and inexpressive, Mr. Verdi.
- My God, you can't even imagine how grateful I am for your feedback, how happy I am! - exclaimed the delighted Verdi, hotly shaking his detractor's hand.
“I don’t understand your delight,” the critic shrugged. - After all, I did not like the opera ... - Now I am absolutely sure of the success of my "Troubadour", - explained Verdi. - After all, if you didn’t like the work, then the audience will undoubtedly like it!

8. Refund your money, maestro!

Verdi's new opera "Aida" was received with admiration by the audience! The famous composer was literally bombarded with accolades and enthusiastic letters. However, among them was the following: "The noisy talk about your opera" Aida "made me go to Parma on the 2nd of this month and attend the performance ... At the end of the opera, I asked myself the question: did the opera satisfy me? The answer was negative I get into the carriage and return home to Reggio. All those around me are just talking about the merits of the opera. I again felt the desire to listen to the opera, and on the 4th I am back in Parma. The impression I made is the following: there is nothing outstanding in the opera ... After two or three performances your "Aida" will be in the dust of the archive. You can judge, dear Mr. Verdi, what regret I feel about the lyres I have wasted in vain. Add to this that I am a family man and such an expense does not give me rest. Therefore, I appeal to directly to you with a request to return the indicated money to me ... "
At the end of the letter, a double bill was presented for the round trip railroad, theater and dinner. A total of sixteen lire. After reading the letter, Verdi ordered his impresario to pay the applicant money.
“However, after deducting four lire for two suppers,” he said cheerfully, “since this signor could have supper at home. And more ... Take his word that he will never listen to my operas again ... In order to avoid new expenses.

9.the story of one collection

One day one of his friends came to visit Verdi, who was spending the summer in his small villa on the coast in Monte Catini. Looking around, he was unspeakably surprised that the owner, although not too big, but still a two-story villa of ten rooms constantly huddles in one room, and not the most comfortable one ...
- Yes, of course, I have more rooms, - explained Verdi, - but there I keep things that I really need.
And the great composer took the guest around the house in order to show him these things. Imagine the surprise of an inquisitive guest when he saw a great number of organ-organs that literally flooded Verdi's villa ...
“You see,” the composer explained the mysterious situation with a sigh, “I came here in search of peace and quiet, meaning to work on my new opera. But the numerous owners of these instruments you have just seen for some reason decided that I came here solely to listen to my own music performed by their organ organs rather badly ... From morning till night they delighted my ears with arias from La Traviata, " Rigoletto "," Troubadour ". And it meant that I had to pay them every time for this dubious pleasure. In the end I came to despair and simply bought all the organ organs from them. This pleasure cost me quite a lot, but now I can work in peace ...

10.impossible task

In Milan, opposite the famous Teatro alla Scala, there is a tavern where artists, musicians, and stage experts have been gathering for a long time.
There, under glass, a bottle of champagne has been kept for a long time, which is intended for those who will be able to consistently and clearly retell in their own words the content of Verdi's opera "Troubadour".
This bottle has been stored for more than a hundred years, the wine is getting stronger, but the "lucky one" is still gone.

11.the best is the kindest

Once Verdi was asked which of his creations he considers the best?
- The house that I built in Milan for elderly musicians ...

Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi(Italian: Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi, October 10, 1813, in the Italian village of Le Roncole, located in the northern part of Lombardy, on the lower tributary of the Po River, near the city of Busseto, French Empire - January 27, 1901, Milan, Italy) - Italian composer , whose work is one of the greatest achievements of world opera and the culmination of the development of Italian opera in the 19th century.

The composer has composed 26 operas and one requiem. The best operas by the composer: Un ballo in maschera, Rigoletto, Troubadour, La Traviata. The pinnacle of creativity is the latest operas: Aida, Othello, Falstaff.

Early period

Verdi was born in the family of Carlo Giuseppe Verdi and Luigi Uttini in Le Roncole - a village near Busseto in the Tarot department, which at that time was part of the First French Empire after the annexation of the principalities of Parma and Piacenza. Thus, the future great Italian composer was officially born in France.

Verdi was born in 1813 (the same year as Richard Wagner, in the future his main rival and leading composer of the German opera school) in Le Roncole, near Busseto (Duchy of Parma). The composer's father, Carlo Verdi, kept a village inn, and his mother, Luigia Uttini, was a spinner. The family lived in poverty, and Giuseppe's childhood was difficult. In the village church, he helped to celebrate Mass. He studied musical literacy and playing the organ under Pietro Baistrocchi. Noticing the son's craving for music, the parents gave Giuseppe a spinet. The composer kept this very imperfect instrument until the end of his life.

The musically gifted boy was noticed by Antonio Barezzi, a wealthy merchant and music lover from the neighboring town of Busseto. He believed that Verdi would not become an innkeeper or a village organist, but a great composer. On Barezzi's advice, ten-year-old Verdi moved to Busseto to study. So a new, even more difficult period of life began - the years of adolescence and youth. On Sundays, Giuseppe went to Le Roncole, where he played the organ during Mass. Verdi also had a composition teacher - Fernando Provezi, director of the Philharmonic Society of Busseto. Carry was engaged not only in counterpoint, he awakened in Verdi the craving for serious reading. Giuseppe's attention is drawn to the classics of world literature - Shakespeare, Dante, Goethe, Schiller. One of his most beloved works is The Betrothed novel by the great Italian writer Alessandro Manzoni.

In Milan, where Verdi went at the age of eighteen to continue his education, he was not admitted to the Conservatory (today bearing the name of Verdi) “because of the low level of piano playing; in addition, there were age restrictions at the conservatory. " Verdi began taking private lessons in counterpoint, at the same time attending opera performances, as well as just concerts. Communication with the Milan elite convinced him to think seriously about the career of a theatrical composer.

Back in Busseto, with the support of Antonio Barezzi (a local merchant and music lover who supports Verdi's musical ambitions), Verdi gave his first public performance at the Barezzi house in 1830.

Fascinated by Verdi's musical gift, Barezzi invites him to become a music teacher for his daughter Margarita. Soon the young people fell dearly in love with each other and on May 4, 1836, Verdi married Margarita Barezzi. Soon Margarita gave birth to two children: Virginia Maria Luisa (March 26, 1837 - August 12, 1838) and Izilio Romano (July 11, 1838 - October 22, 1839). While Verdi was working on his first opera, both children die in infancy. Some time later (June 18, 1840), at the age of 26, the composer's wife Margarita dies of encephalitis.

Initial recognition

The first production of Verdi's opera (Oberto, Count Bonifacio) ( Oberto) in Milan "La Scala" was approved by critics, after which the impresario of the theater, Bartolomeo Merelli, offered Verdi a contract to write two operas. They were "King for an hour" ( Un giorno di regno) and Nabucco (Nebuchadnezzar). Verdi's wife and two children died while he was working on the first of these two operas. After her failure, the composer wanted to stop writing opera music. However, the premiere of Nabucco on 9 March 1842 at La Scala was a great success and established Verdi's reputation as an opera composer. Over the next year, the opera was staged in Europe 65 times and since then has taken a strong place in the repertoire of the world's leading opera houses. Several operas immediately followed Nabucco, including The Lombards in the Crusade ( I Lombardi alla prima crociata) and "Ernani" ( Ernani), which were staged and were successful in Italy.

In 1847, the opera The Lombards, rewritten and renamed Jerusalem ( Jérusalem), was staged by the Paris Opera on November 26, 1847, becoming Verdi's first work in the style grand opera... For this, the composer had to rework this opera somewhat and replace the Italian characters with French ones.

Master

At the age of thirty-eight, Verdi had an affair with Giuseppina Strepponi, a singer (soprano) who was ending her career by that time (they were married only eleven years later, and their cohabitation before marriage was considered scandalous in many of the places where they had to live) ... Soon, Giuseppina stopped performing, and Verdi, following the example of Gioacchino Rossini, decided to end his career with his wife. He was wealthy, famous and in love. Perhaps it was Giuseppina who convinced him to continue writing operas. The very first opera, written by Verdi after "retirement", became his first masterpiece - "Rigoletto". The opera libretto, based on the play The King Amuses himself by Victor Hugo, underwent significant censorship changes, and the composer intended to quit his job several times until the opera was finally completed. The first production took place in Venice in 1851 and was a huge success.

Rigoletto is arguably one of the finest operas in the history of musical theater. Verdi's artistic generosity is presented in full force. Beautiful melodies are scattered throughout the score, arias and ensembles, which have become an integral part of the classical operatic repertoire, follow each other, while the comic and the tragic merge together.

La Traviata, Verdi's next great opera, was composed and staged two years after Rigoletto. The libretto is based on the play "The Lady of the Camellias" by Alexandre Dumas-son.

This was followed by several more operas, among them - the "Sicilian Supper" ( Les vêpres siciliennes; commissioned by the Paris Opera), Troubadour ( Il Trovatore), "Masquerade Ball" ( Un ballo in maschera), "The Force of Destiny" ( La forza del destino; 1862, commissioned by the Imperial Bolshoi Stone Theater in St. Petersburg), the second version of the opera Macbeth ( Macbeth).

In 1869, Verdi composed "Libera Me" for the Requiem in memory of Gioacchino Rossini (the rest of the parts were written by now little-known Italian composers). In 1874, Verdi wrote his Requiem for the death of his revered writer Alessandro Manzoni, including a revised version of the previously written Libera Me.

One of Verdi's last great operas, Aida, was commissioned by the Egyptian government to celebrate the opening of the Suez Canal. At first, Verdi refused. While in Paris, he received a second offer through du Locle. This time Verdi got acquainted with the opera script, which he liked, and agreed to write an opera.

Verdi and Wagner, each the leader of their own national opera school, have always disliked each other. In their entire life, they have never met. Verdi's extant comments about Wagner and his music are few and unfriendly ("He always chooses, in vain, an untrodden path, trying to fly where a normal person would just walk, achieving much better results"). Nevertheless, upon learning that Wagner had died, Verdi said: “How sad! This name has left a huge mark on the history of art. " Only one statement by Wagner is known concerning Verdi's music. After listening to the Requiem, the great German, always eloquent, always generous in (unflattering) comments in relation to many other composers, said: "It's better not to say anything."

Aida was staged in Cairo in 1871 with great success.

Last years and death

For the next twelve years, Verdi worked very little, slowly editing some of his early works.

Opera "Othello" ( Otello), based on a play by William Shakespeare, was staged in Milan in 1887. The music of this opera is "continuous", it does not contain the division into arias and recitatives, which is traditional for Italian opera - this innovation was introduced under the influence of the operatic reform of Richard Wagner (after the latter's death). In addition, under the influence of the same Wagnerian reform, the style of late Verdi acquired a greater degree of recitative, which made the opera more realistic, although it frightened off some fans of traditional Italian opera.

Verdi's last opera, Falstaff ( Falstaff), the libretto of which by Arrigo Boito, librettist and composer, was based on Shakespeare's play "The Wicked Women of Windsor" Merry wives of windsor), translated into French by Victor Hugo, developed the style of "through development". The brilliantly written score of this comedy is thus much closer to Wagner's Meistersingers than to the comic operas by Rossini and Mozart. The elusiveness and effervescence of the melodies allows not to delay the development of the plot and creates a unique effect of confusion, so close to the spirit of this Shakespearean comedy. The opera ends with a seven-part fugue in which Verdi fully demonstrates his brilliant mastery of counterpoint.

On January 21, 1901, while staying at the Grand Et De Milan Hotel (Milan, Italy), Verdi suffered a stroke. Being stricken with paralysis, he could read with his inner ear the scores of the operas La Bohème and Tosca by Puccini, Pagliacci by Leoncavallo, The Queen of Spades by Tchaikovsky, but what he thought about these operas, written by his immediate and worthy heirs, remained unknown ... Verdi grew weaker every day and six days later, early in the morning on January 27, 1901, he died.

Verdi was originally buried in the Monumental Cemetery in Milan. A month later, his body was transferred to Casa Di Riposo in Musicisti, also in Milan, to a holiday home for retired musicians that Verdi had created.

He was agnostic. His second wife, Giuseppina Strepponi, described him as "a man of little faith."

Style

Verdi's predecessors who influenced his work are Rossini, Bellini, Meyerbeer and, most importantly, Donizetti. In the last two operas, Othello and Falstaff, the influence of Richard Wagner is noticeable. Respecting Gounod, whom his contemporaries considered the greatest composer of the era, Verdi nevertheless did not borrow anything from the great Frenchman. Some passages in Aida indicate the composer's acquaintance with the works of Mikhail Glinka, whom Franz Liszt popularized in Western Europe after returning from a tour of Russia.

Throughout his career, Verdi refused to use the high C in tenor parts, citing the fact that the ability to sing this particular note in front of a full audience distracts performers both before, after, and during the performance of the note.

Despite the fact that at times the orchestration at Verdi's workshop, the composer relied mainly on his melodic gift to express the emotions of the heroes and the drama of the action. Indeed, very often in Verdi's operas, especially during solo vocal numbers, the harmony is deliberately ascetic, and the whole orchestra sounds like one accompanying instrument (Verdi is credited with the words: "The orchestra is a big guitar!" not enough attention to the aspect of the score, because it lacked school and sophistication. Verdi himself once said, “Of all the composers, I am the least knowledgeable.” But he hastened to add, “I am seriously saying this, but by 'knowledge' I do not mean knowledge of music at all ".

However, it would be wrong to say that Verdi underestimated the expressive power of the orchestra and did not know how to use it to the end when he needed it. Moreover, orchestral and counterpoint innovation (for example, strings flying along the chromatic scale in Monterone's scene in Rigoletto, in order to emphasize the drama of the situation, or, also in Rigoletto, a chorus humming nearby notes behind the scenes, depicting, very effectively, approaching storm) - characteristic of Verdi's work - so characteristic that other composers did not dare to borrow from him some daring techniques due to their instant recognition.

Verdi was the first composer to specifically search for such a plot for a libretto that would best fit the characteristics of his composing talent. Working in close cooperation with librettists and knowing that it is the dramatic expression that is the main force of his talent, he sought to eliminate "unnecessary" details and "unnecessary" characters from the plot, leaving only characters in which passions boil and scenes rich in drama.

Operas by Giuseppe Verdi

Vanity fair, 1879

  • Oberto, Conte di San Bonifacio - 1839
  • King for an Hour (Un Giorno di Regno) - 1840
  • Nabucco, or Nebuchadnezzar (Nabucco) - 1842
  • The Lombards in the First Crusade (I Lombardi ") - 1843
  • Ernani- 1844. Based on the play of the same name by Victor Hugo
  • Two Foscari (I due Foscari)- 1844. Based on a play by Lord Byron
  • Jeanne d'Arco- 1845. Based on the play "The Maid of Orleans" by Schiller
  • Alzira- 1845. Based on the play of the same name by Voltaire
  • Attila- 1846. Based on the play "Attila, Leader of the Huns" by Zacharius Werner
  • Macbeth- 1847. Based on the play of the same name by Shakespeare
  • Rogues (I masnadieri)- 1847. Based on the play of the same name by Schiller
  • Jerusalem (Jérusalem)- 1847 (Version Lombard)
  • Corsair (Il corsaro)- 1848. Based on the poem of the same name by Lord Byron
  • Battle of Legnano (La battaglia di Legnano)- 1849. Based on the play "The Battle of Toulouse" by Joseph Meri
  • Luisa Miller- 1849. Based on the play "Treachery and Love" by Schiller
  • Stiffelio- 1850. Based on the play The Holy Father, or the Gospel and the Heart, by Émile Souvestre and Eugene Bourgeois.
  • Rigoletto- 1851. Based on the play The King Amuses himself by Victor Hugo
  • Troubadour (Il Trovatore)- 1853. Based on the play of the same name by Antonio García Gutierrez
  • La Traviata- 1853. Based on the play "Lady of the Camellias" by A. Dumas-son
  • Sicilian Vespers (Les vêpres siciliennes)- 1855. Based on the play "Duke of Alba" by Eugene Scribe and Charles De Verier
  • Giovanna de Guzman(Version of "Sicilian Vespers").
  • Simon Boccanegra- 1857. Based on the play of the same name by Antonio García Gutierrez.
  • Aroldo- 1857 (Stiffelio version)
  • Masquerade ball (Un ballo in maschera)- 1859. Based on the real murder of Gustav III, who formed the basis of the play by Eugene Scribe
  • The Force of Destiny (La forza del destino)- 1862. Based on the play "Don Alvaro, or the Force of Destiny" by Angel de Saavedra, Duke of Rivas. Premiered at the Bolshoi (Stone) Theater in St. Petersburg
  • Macbeth ( Macbeth) - 1865. The second edition of the opera commissioned by the Parisian Grand opéra
  • Don Carlos- 1867. Based on the play of the same name by Schiller
  • Aida- 1871. Premiered at the Khedive Opera House in Cairo, Egypt
  • Otello- 1887. Based on the play of the same name by Shakespeare
  • Falstaff- 1893. Based on The Mockers of Windsor and two parts of Shakespeare's Henry IV

Other compositions

  • String quartet in e-moll - 1873
  • Requiem (Messa da Requiem) - 1874
  • Four Spiritual Pieces (Quattro Pezzi Sacri) - 1892

Literature

  • Bushen A., The Birth of the Opera. (Young Verdi). Roman, M., 1958.
  • Gal G. Brahms. Wagner. Verdi. Three masters - three worlds. M., 1986.
  • Ordzhonikidze G. Verdi's Operas on Shakespeare's Plots, M., 1967.
  • Solovtsova L.A. J. Verdi. M., Giuseppe Verdi. Life and creative path, M. 1986.
  • Tarozzi Giuseppe Verdi. M., 1984.
  • Ese Laszlo. If Verdi kept a diary ... - Budapest, 1966.

Films and series about the life and work of the composer

  • "Giuseppe Verdi" (known in Russian as "The Story of a Life"; 1938, Italy). Director - Carmine Gallone. Starring Fosco Giachetti.
  • Giuseppe Verdi (1953, Italy). Director - Rafaello Matarazzo. In the main role - Pierre Cressois.
  • "Life of Giuseppe Verdi (Verdi)" (1982, Italy - France - Germany - Great Britain - Sweden). Director - Renato Castellani. Starring Ronald Pickup.

Memory

In philately

USSR postage stamp dedicated to Verdi, 1963, 4 kopecks (CFA 2879, Scott 2745A)

  • A crater on Mercury is named after Giuseppe Verdi.
  • The feature film "The Twentieth Century" (directed by Bernardo Bertolucci) begins on the day of the death of Giuseppe Verdi, when the two main characters are born.