Giuseppe Verdi

10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901

Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) was an Italian composer who dominated 19th-century Italian opera. His works, including Rigoletto, Il trovatore, La traviata, Aida, Otello, and Falstaff, remain among the most performed operas in the world, and he became a symbol of the Italian unification movement.

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Lived at the same time

Well-documented people whose lives overlapped with Giuseppe Verdi.

Life events

Born in Le Roncole, Duchy of Parma
10 October 1813

Verdi was born to an innkeeper and a spinner in the village of Le Roncole near Busseto; his baptismal record is dated 11 October 1813.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Birth ✓
Married Margherita Barezzi
4 May 1836

Verdi married Margherita, daughter of his patron Antonio Barezzi; she and their two infant children all died by 1840.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Triumphant premiere of Nabucco at La Scala
9 March 1842

The success of Nabucco, with its chorus 'Va, pensiero', made Verdi famous throughout Italy and launched his operatic career in earnest.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Premiere of Rigoletto in Venice
11 March 1851

Rigoletto opened at La Fenice in Venice, beginning the string of middle-period masterpieces that included Il trovatore and La traviata.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Premiere of La traviata in Venice
6 March 1853

La traviata premiered at La Fenice; though its first night was poorly received, it became one of the most popular operas ever written.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Married soprano Giuseppina Strepponi
29 August 1859

After living together for over a decade, Verdi married the retired soprano Giuseppina Strepponi in Collonges-sous-Salève.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Elected deputy to the first Italian parliament
1861 – 1865

At Cavour's urging, Verdi served as a member of the new Kingdom of Italy's first parliament.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Premiere of Aida in Cairo
24 December 1871

Aida, commissioned by the Khedive of Egypt, premiered at the Khedivial Opera House in Cairo to great acclaim.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Premiere of Falstaff, his final opera, at La Scala
9 February 1893

At age 79, Verdi completed his career with the comic masterpiece Falstaff, based on Shakespeare.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Died in Milan
27 January 1901

Verdi died in Milan after a stroke at age 87; hundreds of thousands lined the streets for his burial procession, singing 'Va, pensiero'.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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