Giuseppe Verdi

Verdi's melodic writing combines memorable tunefulness with dramatic aptness, giving each character a distinct vocal profile. His orchestration grew from accompaniment to psychological commentary across his career. The harmonic language evolved from conventional tonality to chromatic shadings that rival Wagner's, but always in service of text and drama.

Bellini and Donizetti gave him the bel canto foundation he would transform. Wagner was his greatest rival, representing opposite operatic philosophies that nonetheless influenced each other. His late discovery of Shakespeare, filtered through Boito's librettos, sparked his final masterpieces.

Early operas show him mastering and then transcending bel canto conventions through increasingly bold dramaturgy. The 'years in the galley' of the 1840s-50s produced hit after hit while refining his craft. Middle period saw him achieve dramatic perfection in the great trio of Rigoletto, Trovatore, and Traviata. Late works Aida, Otello, and Falstaff represent the pinnacle of dramatic musical theater.

After his wife and two children died within two years, Verdi sank into despair and contemplated quitting composition. The impresario Merelli slipped him the libretto of Nabucco, which Verdi tossed aside—but when it fell open to 'Va, pensiero,' he couldn't resist setting it, launching the opera that made him famous.

His Requiem, though not an opera, is one of the most dramatic and theatrical sacred works ever written, leading critics to call it 'an opera in ecclesiastical dress'—a charge Verdi welcomed.

Verdi is evergreen in opera houses worldwide, with Traviata, Rigoletto, and Trovatore among the most frequently performed works. The Requiem appears regularly in concert halls. He's possibly the most programmed opera composer, sharing that distinction with Mozart and Puccini.