Giuseppe Verdi was an extremely prominent Italian composer in the mid to late 19th century.  He was especially known for his operas Rigoletto, La traviata, Don Carlos, Aida, Otello, and Falstaff (“Giuseppe Verdi”, 2013a).

 

The Verdi family moved from Le Roncole to Busseto, where Giuseppe received his first music lesson at the age of four.  He quickly progressed, so much in fact that he began standing in for his teacher at local events (“Giuseppe Verdi”, 2013a).  In his early twenties Verdi’s mentor, Antonio Barezzi, sent Verdi to Milan in order to gain musical enrichment.  Verdi also gave music lessons to Barezzi’s daughter, Margherita, which created a relationship that resulted in marriage.  The couple went on to have two children.  During this time, Verdi composed his first opera, Oberto, but his newfound success was quickly tainted due to a series of illnesses; both of his children and his wife died within a span of two years.  Verdi was deeply affected by the death of Margherita, which caused him to be a bit absent for about three years (“Giuseppe Verdi”, 2013a).  As time went on, Verdi started producing more and more operas that were not as conventional as the traditional operas, for they were more theatrical and melodic.  Though these operas were nonconventional, they were quite successful.  Verdi went on to complete 25 operas including Otello (based off of Shakespeare’s play Othello) and his said to be last composition, Messa da Requiem (“Giuseppe Verdi”, 2013b).  Verdi died on January 27, 1901, in Milan, Italy and continues to be one of the greatest and most influential composers of all time.

 

The Italian immigrants maintained such a strong and passionate love of their culture and this document, a flyer from a 100 year commemoration celebration (Verdi would have been 100 years old), serves as proof.  By congregating in such large venues, such as the Immaculate Conception Hall in New York City, Italian immigrants were able to interact with people – both immigrants and not – who shared the same interests as them, in this case musical performances.  Interactions and events like this allowed the Italian immigrants to still hold a sense of pride in their roots while still embracing a new environment, thus allowing them to feel more at home, far less alienated, and much happier in a land that was indeed foreign. 

 

 

References

 

Giuseppe Verdi. (2013a). In Encyclopedia Britannica Online.  Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com.jerome.stjohns.edu:81/EBchecked/topic/625922/Giuseppe-Verdi

 

Giuseppe Verdi. (2013b). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved from http://www.biography.com/people/giuseppe-verdi-9517249

 

 

Metadata tags: Music; Opera; Program; Composer; Commemoration; Giuseppe Verdi; Performance; New York City; 1913; Italian American; 100 years; celebration; Immaculate Conception Hall; Orchestra; 15th Street; pursuit of happiness