Verdi: The Opera of the 19th Century

Giuseppe Verdi defined himself as a prominent composer of 19th century opera. Departing from the “classical” style in which the role of the chorus is to disclose aspects of the drama, Verdi advances the operatic form with a more sensitive development of the protagonists, and in his ultimate works, to a form which expresses a major shift from contemporary popular style. The dramatic theatrical and musical language is innovative and continues to draw out the emotional involvement of the audience, reaffirmed in its new form. It is Verdi's ability to appeal to the public sentiment while evolving a form and incorporating contemporary political ideas that earned him recognition as well as a historical symbol of the Italian unification. Leaving behind the operatic form of the early 19th century while reinvigorating the elements of the "Classical" form, his language becomes more tender elevating itself in favor of a more elastic realization of the form and of the voice with respect to narration of the libretto.
The course intends to examine, by means of study of the most significant operas in their various phases of production, the development of the musical and theatrical language of Verdi while also studying the synthesis of a musical-political experience that presents a strong Verdean identity as well as a continuous operatic development.

Required Texts: Giampiero Tintori, Invito all’ascolto di Verdi, Mursia, Milano, 2009, 302 p., ISBN-10: 8842541427; ISBN-13: 978-8842541424

Readings from: Massimo Mila, Verdi, Rizzoli, Milano, 2012, 840 p., ISBN-10: 8817060437; ISBN-13: 978-8817060431 (libro)