Giuseppe Verdi

Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (October 10, 1813 – January 27, 1901) is to date the most influential composer of the Italian School of Opera. His greatest works (i.e. Rigoletto, La Traviata, Aida), known for their abundance of expressive melody, are frequently performed in opera houses throughout the world and, transcending the boundaries of the genre, some of his themes have long since taken root in popular culture (La donna è mobile, from Rigoletto). Oftentimes scoffed at by the critics, in his lifetime and today, as catering to the tastes of the common folk, overly simple in chromatic texture and shamelessly melodramatic, Verdi?s masterpieces dominate the standard repertoire a century and a half after their composition.

Style

Verdi's predecessors who influenced his music were Rossini, Bellini, Giacomo Meyerbeer and, most notably, Gaetano Donizetti. With the possible exception of Otello, he was free of Wagner's influence. Although respectful of Gounod, Verdi was careful not to learn anything from the Frenchman whom many of Verdi's contemporaries regarded as the greatest living composer. Some strains in Aida suggest at least a superficial familiarity with the works of the Russian composer Mikhail Glinka, whom Franz Liszt, after his tour of the Russian Empire as a pianist, popularized in Western Europe.

Related Topics:
Giacomo Meyerbeer - Gaetano Donizetti - Otello - Aida - Mikhail Glinka - Franz Liszt

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Throughout his career, Verdi refused to use the high C in his tenor arias, citing the fact that the opportunity to sing that particular note in front of an audience distracts the performer before and after the note comes on.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Although his orchestration is often masterful, Verdi relied heavily on his melodic gift as the ultimate instrument of musical expression. Thus, in many of his passages, and especially in his arias, the harmony is ascetic, with the entire orchestra occasionally sounding as if it were one large accompanying instrument - a big guitar strumming along. Some critics maintain that he did not take the technical aspect of composition seriously enough, lacked schooling and refinement. Verdi himself once said, "Of all composers, past and present, I am the least learned." He hastened to add, however, "I mean that in all seriousness, and by learning I do not mean knowledge of music."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

However, it would be incorrect to assume that Verdi underestimated the expressive power of the orchestra or failed to use it to its full capacity. Moreover, orchestral and contrapuntal innovation (for instance, the strings doing the rapid ascending scale in Monterone's scene in Rigoletto to accentuate the drama, or, also in Rigoletto, the choir humming six closely grouped notes backstage to portray, very effectively, the brief ominous wails of the approaching tempest) is characteristic of his style - so much so that other composers dare not make use of the numerous instantly recognizable devices he invented; they remain, to this day, Verdi's signature tricks.

Related Topics:
Contrapuntal - Rigoletto

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Verdi was one of the first composers who insisted on patiently seeking out plots to suit their particular talents. Working closely with his librettists and well aware that dramatic expression was his forte, he made certain that the initial work upon which the libretto was based was stripped of all "unnecessary" detail and "superfluous" participants, and only characters brimming with passion and scenes rich in drama remained.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~