Throughout the 17th century, all forms of staged musical theater were strictly forbidden during Lenten season. To substitute for this lack of operatic entertainment, this period of fasting and prayer that prepares believers for the celebration of Easter did see

Almost immediately after the premiere of Oberto in 1839, a contemporary critic considered the question of Verdi’s personal musical style. “Many salient features of this style are not Signor Verdi’s own,” he wrote. “The crescendo and the use — not

Giuseppe Verdi, Oberto, Tutto ho perduto! (Leonora) Scholars have suggested that the inherent pathos and drama of Verdi’s operas was the direct result of the composer attempting to cope with the cruel loss of his two infant children and the

Throughout most of his life, the Renaissance polymath genius Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (1452-1519) kept a daily journal. He meticulously recorded daily events and engagements, including shopping lists and people who owed him money. Yet, these journals also

Giuseppe Verdi was a painfully private individual. Details about his romantic encounters are sketchy, and for the most part rely on his own and somewhat inconsistent recollections later in life. We do know, however, that Verdi went to live in

Within the enormous variety and diversity of musical compositions, only a select few ever manage to withstand the test of time. One such work is the “Chaconne” from the Partita No. 2 in D minor for solo violin, composed by

Giuseppe Verdi was one of the most precocious musical talents of all times. At age three, he was given a spinet and took up studies with Don Pietro Baistrocchi, organist at his home village of Roncale. When Baistrocchi passed away

Joseph I Regina coeli Leopold I Sonata piena Laudate Pueri Johann Heinrich Schmelzer Arie per il baletto a cavallo: Corrente per l’intrada di S.M.C. Antonio Bertali Missa Sancti Spiritus Kyrie Gloria Credo Sanctus Agnus Dei Antonio Caldara Te Deum laudamus