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Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) dominated the world of Italian opera throughout the 19th century. Of humble origins, he began his studies in Busseto and continued in Milan under Vicenzo Lavigna. His first operas were only moderately acknowledged and this, coupled with the death of his wife and two children, put a stop to his work.
His interest was revived by the biblical story of Nebuchadnezzar which led to his first major success in 1842 with the opera "Nabucco". By the mid 1850s his operas, including Rigoletto, Il Trovatore and La Traviata, had become both musically and dramatically richer and he was internationally famous. Altogether he composed thirty-two operas, many of which hold pride of place in the world of opera today.
In addition to settings of the Te Deum and the Stabat Mater, Verdi's non-operatic works include a highly dramatic setting of the Requiem Mass to commemorate the death of Rossini in 1868 and the death of the writer Manzoni in 1873. The Quattro pezzi sacri (Four Sacred Pieces) were written at various times in Verdi's later years. The first, Ave Maria sulla scala enigmatica, was written in 1889, followed by a Stabat Mater, the Laudi alla Vergine Maria, on a text from Dante, and a Te Deum for double chorus and orchestra. He also wrote a string quartet.
He was active in the movement for Italian unity and independence and for a short time was a senator in the Italian Parliament. He founded the Rest Home for musicians in Milan, which he opened a few weeks before his death.
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