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Author
Giuseppi Verdi (1813-1901: Italiain)
- born in northern Italy, father was an innkeeper
- wealthy merchant supported him through his musical studies
- married his benefactor's daughter
- operas took on patriotic value.
- wrote a total of 28 operas, including one when he was almost 80
- Wikipedia Article
About the Piece
(much of the description comes from elements that were brought out by Forney and Machlis, The Enjoyment of Music, and the accompanying DVD)
- Genre is opera
- inspired by Victor Hugo
- selection is a quartet
- text language is Italian
- begins with a male aria about the fickleness of women (intended to reflect more on the character of the singer than the character of women in general)
- first aria is strophic
- middle section is through-composed
- final section has ABAC form with a coda
- contains substantial vocal counterpoint
Purpose
- entertainment
- opera performance, to tell a story with music
Reflections
I feel like opera isn't meant to be heard this way...it should be performed as a whole and not in an excert and should be accompanied by acting. Also, I think it is designed to be in the dialect of the people, and I don't speak Italian. The arias are pretty, but not what I would call beautiful. Altogether, this was not one of my favorite pieces.