Verdi

Title

Verdi

Creator

Osbon, Bert Paul

Language

English

Year

1941

Subject

Giuseppe Verdi, 1813 – 1901 -- Biography.

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Abstract

Second series of ‘Great Composers of Music.’

Fulltext

100 THE YOUNG CITIZEN MARCH, 1941 MUSIC APPRECIATION SECTION GREAT COMPOSERS OF MUSIC SECOND SERIES By BERT PAUL OSBON• III. VERDI PERHAPS the only violent act of Giuseppe Verdi's serene life was to smash the old spinet (forerunner of the p i a no) which his father had bought for him and on which Verdi, Writer of Operas the vi 11 a g e priest was teach- · ing him to play, when it failed to reproduce the chord hew.anted. That was when he was a very small boy in Italy, where he was born October 13, 1813. He was an acolyte in the village church when the smashing of the spinet took plaae. A few years later this boy was playing flute and clarinet in the cathedral, and at the age of eleven he became organist. He received never more than one peso monthly for these services, which he performed carefully, although he had daily to walk three miles each way to do this service. Oftentimes while young Verdi (pronounced vair-dee) wa's playing the organ, he improvised melodies, and it soon became apparent to e_ veryone that the boy had musical talent. When he was seventeen he set out for Milan, a large city in Italy, in order to enter the Conservatory, which is another •Formerly of the Department of Music Education, School of Education, New York: University, New York: City, U. S. A. name for a large music school. To his great disappointment, he was refused· admission to the Conservatory, because the director thought he had no musical talent. Verdi found other teachers, however, and studied diligently for two years. Then he returned to his home town to become the village organist, and to marry the daughter of his former employer. A few years later he decided to write operas·, and removed with his wife and children to the city of Milan. But his first operas were failures. To add to his misfortune, his wife and two children .suddenly died. This very sad event, together with the failure of his operas, utterly discouraged him. It was several very unhappy years before his close friends could persuade him to try writing ·an opera again. Finally he was persuaded to try again, and he wrote several which were very successful. These works established his Italian reputation, and from time to time he wrote others-ten in all. · In 1850 he married the woman who was the leading singer in his operas. This marriage was a very happy one. Up to this time his operas were all written in the prevalent Italian style. He wrote such famous operas as Ernani, Rigoletto, La Traviata, Il'Trovatore and others. When he was nearly 60 years old, he was commi~sioned by the Khedive of Egypt to write the opera Aida. This he did. The opera was produced on a grand scale with live elephants and great · MARCH, 1941 THE YOUNG CITIZEN 101 magnificence. In this opera he revealed new effects in orchestra and chorus. The grand old man of Italian opera, like fine wine, mellowed as he became more aged. In his later works-the stately Requiem Mass and the operas Aida, Otello, and Falstaff-his flowing · melodies are enriched by an increased command of the resources of the orchestra, ·possibly in response to Wagner's influ~nce. (Wagner, you may remember, was the great writer of music-dramas.) Verdi was eighty years old when he produced his last opera. In all, he wrote more t h a n 3 0 operas, most of them serious. He did not write much music besides operas. On January 27, 1901, Verdi died peacefully in his Italian villa. He left much of his wealth to charity. Verdi is sometimes called the "king of Italian opera,'' and no other person ever wrote as .many excellent operas as did this composer. You should hear some of his operas whenever you have an opportunity of so doing. REVIEW 1. What is a grand opera? (See the dictionary.) 2. What is Verdi sometimes called? Why? 3. Name some of his well -known operas. 4. When was Verdi born and when did he die? 5. Tell of his life as a boy. Personally, his was a character of rugged ind e p endence Scene from P' erdi's Opera, "Rigoletto" 6. why was he reand noble purpose. His simplicity of life, warm-heartedness, generosity, pafused permission to study music in the Conservatory at Milan? Do you think II6 VERDI (Continued from page IOI} How was it first produced? 15. How many operas did Verdi write? 16. Have you ever heard a grand opera? 17. Haye you h e a r d songs from any of Yerdi,s operas·? 18. Tell of Verdi's character. . 19. Read this article again, and then answer these questions. WHERE THERE'S .A WILL (Continued from page 94) THE YOUNG CITIZEN DRAGONS (Continued from page I04} MAR.CH, 1941 MORO MARRIAGES (Continue from page 98} The family history of the charges a fee-usually five lizard is interesting because· pesos or more. If the groom of its many relationships is rich, he may have some with birds and mammals. ten panditas . to solemnize At about the same time the his marriage. lizards were · appearing, If either of the contractnature was also producing from the much the same type of primitive reptiles, the first birds and the early mammals. ing parties lives near a river, gaily decorated launches with flags and streamers of many colors may be hired for the occa-. sion. On top of the launches REVIEW grotesq~e animal he ·ads I. How many species of. sway in th~ air. Bands of lizards are there? musicians are always abo~rd 2. What can you say of the launches to furnish the the sizes of lizards? music. 3. Describe some spetested it and found. that it c1es .. Dur in g the marriage celebration fire-crackers are lighted, guns are fired, and men and women shout at the top of their voices. is true. WHERE THERE'S 4. Where are lizards A WILL, THERE'S A WAY. found? SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT 1. Do you think J uanito was right when he said, "An education in the elementary school is good as far as it goes, but it's not enough"? Why do you think so? 2. Why do you think J uanito was determined to have an education? 3. Why was Juanito willing to shine shoes and be a h~mseboy? Would you be willing to do that if necessary 'to get an . education? 5. What is the food of lizards? 6. What can you say of the tail of some· species of lizards? 7. How do some lizards run? 8. Tell of the "flying" lizard. 9. The frilled lizard. 10. How are some lizards useful? 11. Why is the family history of the lizard interesting to scientists? 12. How many different kinds of lizards have you seen in the Philippin~s? A Moro datu or kagui can have as many wives as he wishes, provided· he can pay the dowries asked. ·An ordinary Moro is limited to four wives. A Moro who· has many wives is con-: sidered rich. A Moro who has many daughters will become rich, because of the dowries that are sure· to come for his daughters. · Such are some of the Moro marriage customscommonplace to Moros, but Strange to Filipinos who are not accustomed to them.

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