Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi 1813 - 1901

At the time of his death, all of Italy mourned, and whilst he had requested no music or singing at his funeral, one month later over two hundred thousand people lined the streets of Italy to pay their respects, and a choir of over eight hundred performed the chorus Va, pensiero from Nabucco. In this tradition, people the world over both celebrate and mourn the centenary of his death on January 27. (Source: Global Music Network)Online Sources...
In honor of the centenary of Verdi's death on January 27, Global Music Network(GMN)  is featuring not only the works of this great composer, but also his life and the turbulent times in which he lived.  For example, did you know that Verdi held several high-ranking public and parliamentary positions?  You also may listen to his music at GMN.At Stanford University's Verdi site find everything you ever want to know about Verdi's operas including libretti, source texts, performance histories, synopses, discographies, plus pictures, background information, and more on a small but rapidly growing number of operas. For non-stop opera listening, where you choose your favorite channel, go to "OperadiO", which features "3,000 tracks - ranging from the great traditional Operatic Arias sung by the greatest singers of the 20th and 21st centuries, through songs from Broadway musicals and the great shows of the last century".  Be sure to visit their opera links page, which includes a link to "Operissimo" where you can find useful information like performance schedules of all the major opera houses around the world. The artist must yield himself to his own inspiration... I should compose with utter confidence a subject that set my musical blood going, even though it were condemned by all other artists as anti-musical.  Giuseppe Verdi, Letter, 1854 (Source: A Dictionary of Musical Quotations; Ian Crofton & Donald Fraser)

JMU-owned Sources...

	Browse through over 100 Verdi recordings (CDs only) and find out what this great music is all about.  You can choose your favorite performances as you will find several recordings of the same music, including "Aida" (V48 21 S, V48 31 S, V48 40 S, V48 62 S, CD 1337), "Don Carlos" (V48 56 S, V48  35 S, CD 2403), and "Falstaff" (CD 2481 V48 30 S, V48 38 S, V48 39 S, V48 57 S), plus many, many more.
	Definitely watch some Verdi videos to experience some of his great operas like "Aida" (VC 48), "Attila" (VC 150), "Un ballo in maschera", (VC 11), "La Traviata", (MDVD 4), featuring great artists like Joan Sutherland, Andrea Bocelli, and Luciano Pavarotti, and Placido Domingo, just to name a few.
	Books about Verdi like "Verdi, his music, life and times" by George Whitney Martin (ML410.v4 m266) - learn not only about the Italian composer, but also about the person, and the tumultuous times in which he lived.  If you want to know more about his operas try "Verdi and his operas" edited by Stanley Sadie (ML410.V4 H75) or read "Letters of Giuseppe Verdi" (ML410.V4 A387 1972), plus many more.