Giuseppe Verdi

Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (/dʒuˈzɛppe fortuˈniːno franˈtʃesko ˈverdi/), born Joseph Fortunin François Verdi on 10 October 1813 in Roncole and who died on 27 January 1901 in Milan, was an Italian Romantic composer. His body of work, made up mainly of operas that unite melodic power with psychological and legendary depth, is one of the most important in the history of musical theatre.

Verdi is one of the most influential Italian opera composers of the nineteenth century, his influence comparable to that of Gioachino Rossini, Vincenzo Bellini, Gaetano Donizetti and Giacomo Puccini. His works are frequently performed in opera houses around the world and, going beyond the boundaries of the genre, some of his themes have long been part of popular culture, such as "La donna è mobile" from Rigoletto, the "Brindisi" from La traviata, "Va, pensiero" from Nabucco, or the "Triumphal March" from Aida. Verdi's operas still dominate the operatic repertoire a century and a half after they were composed.

Though not greatly engaged in politics, he did allow his image and works to be used in the process of Italian unification, and remains, alongside Giuseppe Garibaldi and Camillo Cavour, an emblematic figure of the Risorgimento.