Born in Roncole, near Busseto on October 10, 1813;
died in Milan, Italy on January 27, 1901

Giuseppe Verdi’s music education began with church organists in his hometown, where his skills impressed a local merchant enough to finance a year of study at La Scala in Milan. After finishing his studies, Verdi returned home and married his childhood sweetheart, Margherita Barezzi, with whom he had two children. Tragically, both children died within two years of each other; Margherita died shortly after, leaving the 27 year-old Verdi devastated. His run of misfortune continued when his second opera, Un giorno di regno, proved a failure.

Regardless of life’s challenges, Verdi and his operas would become famous throughout the country. In his lifetime he composed over 20 operas, with Rigoletto, La Traviata, Il Trovatore, Falstaff, La forza del destino, Don Carlos, and Aida amongst his most famous. In later years, the composer would come to be known not only as the great man of opera, but also as a national hero who gave his people a distinctive voice on the musical map.