Giuseppe Verdi was an Italian composer who lived from 1813 to 1901. He wrote more than 25 operas, and many of them have never left the stage. Italians sang his tunes in the streets, and his name became a symbol of their country. The best first piece for a child is the Triumphal March from Aida, with its long, straight trumpets.
Quick facts
- Born: 1813, in Le Roncole, a village in northern Italy
- Died: 1901, in Milan, Italy
- Era: Romantic
- Played: organ and piano
- Known for: the operas Rigoletto, Il trovatore, La traviata, Aida, Otello, and Falstaff, and a Requiem
The life in short
Verdi’s parents kept a small inn and a shop in a farming village. A local shopkeeper who loved music saw the boy’s talent and paid for his schooling. As a boy, Verdi played the organ in the village church.
At 18, he applied to the music school in Milan. The school turned him down. He was past the usual age, and the teachers did not like the way he held his hands at the piano. He took private lessons in Milan. Today, the school is named after him.
His early years were marked by loss. His two small children and his young wife all died within three years. His second opera failed. He decided to stop composing.
A theater manager pressed a new story into his hands. It was about the Hebrew people held captive in Babylon and longing for home. Verdi wrote the opera Nabucco, and its chorus of the captives made him famous.
Italy was then split into small states, and much of the north was ruled by Austria. Italians came to hear their own longing for freedom in that chorus. People wrote “Viva VERDI” on walls. The letters of his name also spelled out a slogan for the king they hoped would unite the country.
Between 1851 and 1853, he wrote three of the most popular operas of all time: Rigoletto, Il trovatore, and La traviata. Aida followed in 1871, written for the opera house in Cairo, Egypt.
He bought a farm and ran it himself. He liked to call himself a farmer.
He wrote his last opera, a comedy called Falstaff, at 79. In his old age, he built a home in Milan for retired musicians who had no money. It is still open.
What the music sounds like
Verdi’s tunes are bold, direct, and easy to remember. He wrote for the human voice above all. The orchestra supports the singers and drives the drama forward.
His choruses are famous. A whole crowd sings one great tune together.
His later operas are richer and more subtle, with music that flows from scene to scene.
Pieces to play first
Triumphal March, from Aida. An army returns in victory to ancient Egypt. Verdi had special long, straight trumpets built for the scene.
Anvil Chorus, from Il trovatore. Workers in a mountain camp sing as they hammer at dawn. They strike real anvils in time with the music.
“Va, pensiero,” from Nabucco. The chorus of the captives. The title means “Fly, thought.” The whole choir sings the tune together, soft at first.
“La donna è mobile,” from Rigoletto. A bouncy tune for a tenor. The story goes that Verdi kept it secret until the last rehearsals, because he knew the whole city would be whistling it the next day.
“Libiamo,” from La traviata. A cheerful waltz. Guests at a party raise their glasses and sing.
Things to do together
Strike the anvil. Play the Anvil Chorus. Tap two spoons together each time the hammers ring.
Victory parade. Play the Triumphal March and parade around the room. Add trumpets made from cardboard tubes.
Whistle it. Play “La donna è mobile” twice. See whether your child can whistle or hum it afterward. Verdi was right about that tune.
Sing as a crowd. Play “Va, pensiero” and hum along with the choir. Ask how it feels different from one person singing.
What parents need to know
Most of Verdi’s operas are tragedies for adults. The pieces above are good to hear without the stories. His comedy, Falstaff, is a lighter choice for an older child.
Print and play
Fill in a composer study notebook page for Verdi. To learn how opera works, read opera for kids. For an Italian opera composer who made audiences laugh, read Rossini for kids. For the young man who walked to another city to hear Aida, read Puccini for kids.
For more composers from the same country, read Italian composers for kids. For more composers by era, see classical composers for kids.
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This article is part of Classical composers for kids: a guide by era, from Vivaldi to Britten.
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Use it with your kids
Print a listening page, a practice chart, or a composer fact sheet. Or try a tool, such as the composer timeline or the piece picker.