Giuseppe (Fortunino Francesco) Verdi (1813-1901)
I. Importance and life
A. Verdi is the most important Italian composer of the middle to the end of the
19th century. He inherited the traditions of Bellini and Donizetti and the grand
opera practice of Meyerbeer, and raised the form to new heights.
B. Verdi was criticized, during his life and afterward, of being overly simple and
melodramatic. His operas have stood the test of time, however, and are a
major staple of the repertoire throughout the world. Although Bellini and
Donizetti wrote many more works, more Verdi operas are in the repertoire.
C. Verdi was born 1813 in Le Roncole, a small Tuscan town near Busseto,
which is in the Duchy of Parma. At the time of Verdi’s birth, Europe was in
the aftermath of the Napoleonic Era—Verdi was born under a French
passport. His father was an innkeeper.
D. At 20, Verdi went to Milan to continue his studies. He was rejected from the
Conservatory (various reasons given—too old, poor piano proficiency, poor
counterpoint). He returned to Busseto to become the town’s maestro di
musica.
E. Verdi sought private study in counterpoint and obtained Barezzi as a patron.
He married Margherita Barezzi in 1836. Their two children died in infancy of
typhoid.
G. His first operatic success was Oberto, which was premiered at La Scala.
Merelli, the impresario, offered a contract for two more operas.
H. His second opera, Un giorno di regno, was a failure. Margherita died in 1840
while he was composing it.
I. Nabucco (1842) was a success, however, and it made him famous. Strepponi
sang the role of Abigaille.
J. In 1851, Verdi became more intimately involved with the soprano
Giuseppina Strepponi. They lived together for about eight years before they
were married, which was regarded as scandalous at the time. Strepponi was
divorced and Verdi refrained from marrying her for some time out of
deference to his family. Verdi wrote to his former father-in-law of the affair:
“I have nothing to hide. In my house there lives a lady, free, independent, a
lover of solitude, so am I...Neither I nor she owes to anyone at all any
account of our actions...I demand liberty of action for myself...since my
nature rebels against conformity.” Verdi’s deep sympathy for Violetta, and
his characterization of Germont, may have arisen from his personal
experience.
K. Verdi contemplated retiring several times—he was wealthy from the operas
he had composed, owned an estate and was appointed Senator for Life after
the success of the Risorgimento (political movement to unify Italy).
Strepponi may have been the one to persuade him to return composition in
the early 1860s, and it was his publisher Riccordi who did the same, 25 years
later.
L. Verdi composed 26 operas, a string quartet, a Requiem Mass and several late
choral works. He was politically active (his operas were identified with the
drive toward national unity) and a generous man (he set up a home for retired
musicians). His name became associated with the rallying cry and acronym
Viva VERDI (Viva Victor Emmanuel, Roi D’Italia.)
M. Unlike Wagner, Verdi never wrote any of his own libretti, he took an active
hand in their construction. He preferred current topics and plays and
historical dramas for settings, as well as opera texts based on Shakespeare, of
which he set three (see below). Several operas are based on French works
(Rigoletto and La traviata).
II. Important Operas and other works
A. Nabucco. Fp. 1842, libretto by Solera, based on a play by Anicet-Bourgeos
and Cornu. Story: The setting is ancient Babylonia. King Nebuchadnezzar
oppresses the Jews, who long to return to the land of Israel. The most famous
number from the opera is the “Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves” which became
identified with the Risorgimento (resurgence). There is a story that when the
chorus began to rehearse this number, the carpenters put down their hammers
and came to the stage to listen. In the hushed silence, people knew that Verdi
had a success. Italians identified with the exiled Hebrews, and also longed for
a homeland. The text, in part, reads:
Fly, thought, on wings of gold;
go settle upon the slopes and the hills
where the sweet airs of our
native soil smell soft and mild!
...Oh, my country, so lovely and lost!
Oh remembrance so dear yet unhappy!
B. Macbeth. Composed 1846-47 on a libretto by Piave, based on a prose
translation of the play. Verdi did not read the original until after the opera
was completed. He revised it in 1865 for Paris. The story follows the original
play in most details, except that the Three Witches are replaced by a Witches’
Chorus. Macbeth is considered a flawed masterpiece.
C. La traviata. Composed 1848, Fp.1853, based on the La dame aux Camélias
by Alexander Dumas, fils. The story has been used as the basis of Camille
and the Baz Luhrman film Moulin Rouge! Violetta is a courtesan who suffers
from tuberculosis. She falls in love with Alfredo, a rich young man and they
retire from the mad life of Paris for the country so that Violetta might
recover. Alfredo’s father, Germont, appeals to Violetta to give him up, which
she agrees to do. Violetta returns to Paris. Alfredo, feeling betrayed,
humiliates Violetta at the Casino. Later, Germont tells Alfredo the truth about
Violetta’s sacrifice. Alfredo rushes to her deathbed, but it is too late. The
basic elements of the plot can be seen to have autobiographical significance
to Verdi (see I.J., Strepponi, above). There are numerous famous arias and
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
I.
ensembles from this opera which are performed frequently as concert hall
favorites, and the opera is one of the most-performed of Verdi’s operas.
Rigoletto. Fp. 1851 on a libretto by Piave based on the play Le roi s’amuse
by Victor Hugo. Verdi chose the play, which had already encountered
problems with the censors. Verdi and Piave had great difficulties with the
censor over the subject matter. Story: Rigoletto is the hunchbacked Court
Jester of the Duke of Mantua. He has a beautiful daughter, Gilda, who he
keeps secreted away, fearing the Duke’s amorous and treacherous tendencies.
Gilda meets and falls in love with the Duke. Rigoletto hires Sparafucile to
kill him. Gilda learns of the plot and takes the Duke’s place. Sparafucile
delivers the body of the dying Gilda to Rigoletto in order to receive his
payment. Rigoletto is despondent. The Duke’s aria “La donna e mobile” is
one of the most famous arias ever written and the “Rigoletto Quartet”, which
features the four main characters, is also deservedly famous. Verdi uses
reminiscence motives.
Il trovatore. Fp. 1853 on a libretto by Bardare and Cammarano, based on the
play “El Trobador” by Gutiérrez. Traviata, Rigoletto and Trovatore are often
seen as a triptych of operas that mark Verdi’s development into a mature
style. These three exemplify Verdi’s idea of musical drama, which stands in
contrast to Wagner. Verdi viewed music drama as an amalgam of
heterogeneous elements which explored a socially and/or culturally complex
situation. Verdi also combined comic and tragic elements.
Les vespers siciliennes, Fp. 1855, based on a libretto by Duveyrier and Scribe.
The overture to this opera, also known as I Vespri Siciliani, is a concert hall
favorite. Les vespers and Don Carlos are grand operas which premiered in
Paris.
La forza del destino, Fp. 1862 in St. Petersburg, Russia, on a libretto by
Piave, based on a scene from Schiller’s Wallensteins Lager. The story is set
in Spain. This overture is also a concert hall favorite. In La Forza, as well as
in Un ballo in maschera, Verdi introduced comic roles.
Aida, Fp. 1871 at the Khedivial Opera House in Cairo, on a libretto by
Ghislanzoni, based on a story by Mariette. Story: Aida is an Ethiopian
princess, who is captured and brought to Egypt. Radames, a military officer,
struggles between his love for Aida and his loyalty to the Pharaoh. Radames
is loved by Amneris, the Pharoah’s daughter. Amonasro, the Ethiopian King
and Aida’s father, flees with her and Radames, who allows the escape, is
imprisoned for treason. Radames rejects Amneris’ love, but she still pleads
for Radames’ life. He is found guilty and condemned to be buried alive.
Aida chooses to die with Radames, and hides in the pyramid-tomb. The sing
a farewell to life and life’s tragedies as the Amneris weeps, above,
accompanied by the priest’s chorus. Aida is the epitome of grand opera.
Productions often include horse-drawn chariots, huge choruses, elephants and
camels and a large choir of herald trumpets onstage. With the composition of
Aida, Verdi intended to retire.
Requiem, composed in 1874. Parts of the Manzoni Requiem were first
composed for a requiem Verdi began in 1868 in memory Rossini, but did not
complete. The earlier project was to be a compilation of work by various
composers. When the great Italian humanist Alessandro Manzoni died, Verdi
took up the work again, revising and incorporating his earlier work (which
was never published). The Manzoni Requiem follows the Latin Mass and
includes a Kyrie, Dies Irae, Offertorio, Agnus Dei, Lux Aeterna and a Libera
me.
J. Otello, Fp. 1887, marks Verdi’s return to composition after nearly a 12-year
hiatus. The libretto is by Arrigo Boito, based the Shakespeare play Othello.
Bioto, a wealthy man, composer, man of letters and an avid Wagnerite in his
youth, had been a bitter enemy of Verdi’s in earlier days. It therefore required
some peace-making by Riccordi to make the project happen. Verdi was so
thrilled with Bioto’s libretto that he agreed. Ironically, the work is a
continuous music drama with reminiscence motifs, somewhat along
Wagnerian lines. The action follows the play in its major outline, omitting the
opening scene of the play and telescoping the denouement. Iago is one of
Verdi’s greatest villains.
K. Falstaff, Fp.1893 at La Scala, on a libretto by Bioto, based on Shakespeare’s
character as he appears in Henry IV, V and The Merry Wives of Windsor.
Some writers believe that the opera is greater than The Merry Wives of
Windsor, upon which it is mostly based. Falstaff follows the action of the
play in most details, and has been critically acclaimed for its refinement and
sophistication. It is remarkable that Verdi undertook to compose such as
massive score at the age of 80. It ends with a brilliant fugue “Tutto nel
mondo é burla” (all the world is a joke). Story: Falstaff plans to escape his
dire economic straits by seducing one or the other of two rich women
(Mistresses Ford and Paige). He sends them both the same letter! The
women compare the love letters, have a good laugh, and plot a series of
revenges on both Falstaff and their jealous husbands. In a subplot, Nanetta,
daughter of the Fords, plots to marry Fenton against her father’s wishes. In
the end, daughter and betrothed are married and Falstaff is suitably
humiliated by the entire village. Falstaff, pleased the plot has backfired on
Ford and resulted in Nanetta’s nuptials, leads the town in a fugue celebrating
the foolishness of the world.
III. Style
A. Verdi orchestration is masterful. He was able to control and balance large
ensembles on stage and off-stage with a essentially conventional orchestra in
the pit.
B. Although his harmonic language is relatively simple, when compared to
Wagner, Verdi was keenly aware of large-scale harmonic motion so that
scenes and acts have dramatic and musical dynamism.
C. The center of melodic is in the voice rather than the orchestra, as was typical
of mature Wagner. The orchestra may accompany the voice, double the
melodic line, or play sophisticated counterpoint against the main melodic line
which is carried by the voice(s).
D. Verdi adhered to “number opera” construction for earlier works, but moved
toward a more continuous musical texture with the late works.
E. Verdi worked with his many librettists to insure that the plots were stripped
of all unnecessary characters and detail, so that he could concentrate on the
dramatic action, which was his strength.
F. Verdi wrote brilliantly for the voice. Although his music can be immensely
difficult to sing, it is “singable”, with well-approached high notes, and
excellent text-underlay.
III. Structure—Verdi follows the “Double-aria” structure he learned from Rossini
A. Instead of a recitativo secco, scenes open with a “scena” recitative
B. Primo tempo follows (1st movement) usually in a slow, cantabile tempo
C. Tempo di mezzo (middle movement) may incorporate and ensemble
D. Cabaletta is the final movement, often fast
E. In a duet, the opening scena is followed by a “tempo attacca”, with the rest of
the aria pattern to follow. This creates an alternating action-stasis-action-stasis
pattern.
III. Periods
A. Early operas—first period culminates in 1853 with Il trovatore and La traviata
B. Middle period—includes ventures into grand opera, culminating in Aida and
the Requiem
C. Late period—the two Shakespeare operas, late sacred choruses.
Quotes—Verdi on the primacy of the dramatic action over the musicality of the work:

Verdi: “To copy reality is a good thing, but to invent reality is better, much better.
A contradiction may seem to exist in these three words “to invent reality”, but just
ask Papa Shakespeare.”
Direct, primal expression of human emotion was the greatest artistic goal, in Verdi’s
view. Although his libretti were in written in verse (for reasons of comprehension and
singability), we have record of his correspondence to the his librettists constantly asking
them to pare down the text. In this regard, Verdi’s beliefs echo Hamlet’s instructions to
his players:

Hamlet: “Suit the action to the word, the word to the action, with this special
instruction, that you o’erstep not the modesty of nature.
Verdi inherited the set-piece construction of bel canto opera of Rossini, Bellini and
Donizetti, but he reformed it. This reform can first be seen in Verdi’s first Shakespeare
opera, Macbeth, in which objected to the beautiful Tadolini who was cast as Lady
Macbeth. He wrote:

Verdi: “Tadolini has a beautiful, lovely figure and I would like Lady Mabeth
brutish and ugly. Tadolini sings to perfection, and I would like a Lady Macbeth
who doesn’t really sing. Tadolini has an astonishing, clear, limpid, potent voice,
and I would like in a Lady a harsh, suffocated, veiled voice. Tadolini’s voice is
angelic; I would like Lady’s voice to seem diabolical.”
In other words, the bel canto opera voice was not what Verdi sought. He wanted a
singing actor. He also (gradually) abandoned the highly ornamental style of Rossini,
Bellini and Donizetti. They wanted to give their singers room to sing, while Verdi wanted
to give them room to act.
The dichotomy between Verdi and Wagner is that Verdi sought realism, genuine and
vigorous emotion, visceral reaction, and directness, while Wagner sought theory,
allegorical meaning, elevation of reality to the world of philosophy and extreme artistic
polish. In a Verdi scene, the action seems to take place in real time, while in a Wagnerian
scene, the action often seems to move in slow motion. Verdi’s characters think and react
like real people, while speed of Wagnerian drama moves in a kind of suspension which
allows time for the viewer to contemplate. Therefore, the Verdi orchestra accompanies
the scene while the Wagner orchestra provides a commentary and reflection on the
action.
Therefore, the typical Wagnerian plot is rooted in myth and legend because these
characters are close to archetypes, while the typical Verdi story came from either a
Shakespearean play (although it is true that Shakespeare’s characters are close to their
archetypal roots), or often an historical setting, or a novel.
It is no wonder than Verdi chose Macbeth as his first Shakespeare project—it is the
second shortest of Shakespeare’s 38 plays, and is distinguished by its simplicity and the
tautness of the action; it is not burdened with subplots. Verdi wrote that Macbeth has
only three characters: Macbeth, Lady Macbeth and the Witches.

Verdi: “I want plots that are great, beautiful, varied, daring...daring to an extreme,
new in form and at the same time adapted to composing...another person would
perhaps not have composed (La traviata) because of the costumes, because of the
period, because of a thousand other foolish objections. O did it with particular
pleasure. Everyone cried out when I proposed to put a hunchback on stage. Well.
I was overjoyed to compose Rigoletto, and it was just the same with Macbeth, and
so on.
Ironically, both Verdi and Wagner sought to destroy the set-piece construction of opera
as they inherited it, but they went at the problem from opposite directions.