Verdi, Giuseppe

Preface

Verdi, Giuseppe – Attila, Dramma Lirico in un Prologo e tre Atti (with Italian libretto)

(b. Le Roncole, Busseto, 9 or 10 October 1813 – d. Milan, 27 January 1901)

Preface
The French Romantic composer Giuseppe Verdi was born on 9 or 10 October 1813 in Le Roncole (French Empire) and is still world-famous for his widely performed operas Rigoletto, Otello and Falstaff, which have long since become standard theatre repertoire.

Verdi received organ lessons from the organist in Busseto at an early age and soon worked as a substitute organist in the church. He then became a private pupil of the concertmaster and harpsichordist at Milan’s La Scala, Vincenzo Lavigna (1776-1936), a pupil of the Italian composer Giovanni Paisiello (1740-1816). In 1834 Verdi was employed as organist, followed from 1835 by his work as music director in Busseto. In 1839, the dramma per musica Oberto conte di San Bonifacio – Verdi’s first opera to be performed – was staged at La Scala in Milan. This was followed by Attila in 1846. In addition to numerous operas, Verdi composed sacred music, chamber music and cantatas.1 He also established a retirement home for former musicians in Milan, the so-called “Casa di Risposo per Musicisti”.

Attila is Verdi’s ninth opera, a ‘dramma lirico’. It consists of a prologue and three acts. The original language is Italian and the performance lasts almost two hours. The libretto was written by Temistocle Solera (1815-1878) and completed by Francesco Maria Piave (1810-1876). It is based on the romantic tragedy “Attila, King of the Huns” by the poet Zacharias Werner (1768-1823). Verdi learnt about this play in 1844 and submitted an exposé of the opera (with a prologue and three acts) to his librettist Francesco Maria Piave. He also suggested changes to the plot.2 However, after the opera Alzira, which he had also conceived together with Piave, turned out to be a failure, Verdi turned to the librettist Solera, who had already written the librettos for the operas Nabucco, I Lombardi alla prima crociata and Giovanna d’Arco. This collaboration brought many political allusions to the Italian freedom movement into the work. However, Solera left the last act unfinished, which is why Verdi once again turned to his librettist Francesco Maria Piave, to whom he also gave dramaturgical instructions. Piave’s completion caused a rift with Solera, with whom Verdi never worked together again. …

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