Photo de stock - Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) - engraving 1873. Giuseppe Verdi was one of the most notable Italian composers of the time, known primarily for writing operas. He played a key role in restoring the Italian lyric theater without using French texts. Among his many works, ""Nabucco"", ""La Traviata,"" and ""La Forza del Destino""; stand out. Verdi was born in 1813 near Parma, Italy. His parents were farmers and minor local musicians. Verdi received little formal education and continued the family tradition with a first performance at the theater at age 8. He worked to support himself as a pianist and composer for years to come. At the age of 23, his erudite opera, "Oberto, Count of San Bonifacio", was successfully premiered in Milan. This was the first of more than 25 operas. As Verdi's fame grew in the late 1830s, he began to demand more audience participation in his works. This tendency led to composing more narrative operas, with attention to the relationships between the characters. These were his masterpieces. In 1868 Verdi withdrew from the Italian operatic scene, although he continued to compose music for most of his life. Verdi died on January 27, 1901, and was buried in an elegant family mausoleum in the cemetery in Verdi's hometown of Busseto, in the Emilia-Romagna region.