Giuseppe Verdi

Giuseppe Verdi
A portrait by Giovanni Bol 1886 (National Gallery of Modern Art, Rome)
Born	Roncole near Busseto
Baptised	9 or 10 October 1813
Died	27 January 1901 (aged 87) Milan
Occupation	Composer of operas

Giuseppe Verdi (born Roncole near Busseto, 9 or 10 October 1813; died Milan 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer of operas.

Verdi and Richard Wagner were the greatest composers of opera in the 19th century although they were completely different from one another. When Verdi was a young man the most famous opera composers in Italy were Gaetano Donizetti and Vincenzo Bellini who wrote in the bel canto tradition. This meant that their operas had beautiful tunes which were written for singers to show off their voices, even if what they sang did not suit the story. During his long life, Verdi changed opera so that it did not have to obey old-fashioned rules.