Giuseppe Verdi

Italian composer of the Romantic period, Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) took his native operatic style to new heights of dramatic expression. In 1842 he wrote the opera Nabucco, followed by Ernani in 1844 and Rigoletto in 1851. Other works include Il Trovatore and La Traviata both in 1853, Aida in 1871, and the masterpieces of his old age, Otello in 1887 and Falstaff in 1893. His Requiem of 1874 commemorates the poet and novelist Alessandro Manzoni.

Photographed by Disdéri of Paris.