The Life of Verdi (Musical Lives)

Description

"Verdi's long life spanned Napoleonic rule and the age of broadcasting. He was the last great composer to give direct voice to basic human emotions, yet he was not always as straightforward as the directness of his work suggests: he was neither the uneducated peasant he claimed to be nor the conservative nationalist he seemed to become in his later years. In this new biography, John Rosselli traces the life and work of a boldly innovative artist. He investigates Verdi's businesslike running of a landed estate as well as a highly successful career, and looks into his complex relationships - still not quite clear - with two women singers: his second wife Giuseppina Strepponi and his probable lover Teresa Stolz. At the same time he considers the music with clarity and insight, dwelling on the most important operas and showing us why they still fill theatres and rouse enthusiasm today."--BOOK JACKET.

First Sentence

According to a dubious story Verdi liked to tell, his mother, her five-month-old son clutched to her breast, hid in the village church tower from Russian troops which in the last months of the Napoleonic wars swept across northern Italy.

Excerpt

According to a dubious story Verdi liked to tell, his mother, her five-month-old son clutched to her breast, hid in the village church tower from Russian troops which in the last months of the Napoleonic wars swept across northern Italy.

Subjects

Other Editions

• The Life of Verdi (Musical Lives)PaperbackCambridge University Press2000-08-28
• The Life of Verdi (Musical Lives)HardcoverCambridge University Press2000-08-28