Giuseppe Verdi

Summary
This is a language lesson, using a short biography of Giuseppe Verdi as a basis for reading comprehension and music appreciation.

Objectives
• to describe and discuss the format and structure of an opera;

• to identify and discuss some of Verdi s works.

Suggested Grades
6th Grade
7th Grade
8th Grade

Excerpt
Giuseppe Verdi was an Italian composer who lived in the 19th Century. He is known mainly for the operas that he composed. He was influenced by the Italian composers Gioachino Rossini and Vincenzo Bellini. The great German composer, Richard Wagner, had little influence on Verdi, even though they were contemporaries.

The majority of Verdi s works were operas. Operas are works that involve an orchestra, a singing element, and an acting element. The operas during Verdi s time were called Grand Operas because they were lavish, broad compositions that had four or five acts. An act is a segment of a performance. The operas that Verdi composed were typical of the time period in Italy. They were written in Italian, and the plots, speech, and music were focused on expressing the emotions of the storyline. The operas that Verdi composed emphasized imagination.

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