Verdi for Kids: His Life and Music with 21 Activities
Open my heart and you will see Graved inside of it Italy Robert Browning English poet
FOREWORD M VERY HAPPY that you've chosen to pick up •this book about the life of the renowned opera composer Giuseppe Verdi In today’s 21st century world opera often takes a backseat to other types of music In fact classical music in general is rarely the option that many peo ple especially young people choose to listen to But oh What those people are missing Opera is full of drama and emotion intrigue and action It's an art form that combines live singing of the most spectacular kind with vivid acting and the playing of great music all in one place and at one time One of the most important things about opera that many kids don't realize we singers do it all with out microphones We study and train for years to be able to sing beautifully not shout over the playing of orchestras that sometimes number over a hundred pieces Impressive no Speaking of impressive Giuseppe Verdi was one of the best of all the opera composers His operas he composed about 28 of them have been performed
for enthusiastic audiences for more than 170 years and are often the mainstay of many of the world's opera houses today Even if you are completely new to opera you would probably be surprised by how much of Verdi's music you have already heard and do hear in everyday life Themes from his operas are used in movies commercials and celebratory events to this day and are famous and familiar When I was growing up and finding that I loved to sing singing at both my school and my church I really had no idea that some 30 years down the road I would be one of the world's most well known opera sopranos At the time I didn't know anything about opera Then one day one of my voice teachers said to me I think you have a voice that could sing opera I was thrilled it was like being admitted into a won derful secret world that held untold treasures And it does This is why I'm so excited for you that you've decided to pick up this book Whether you sing or find that you have the wonderful ability to recognize and enjoy great classical music when you hear it learning about and listening to opera is a very fulfill ing and exciting experience that will continue to bring you joy for your entire life Welcome to the world of Giuseppe Verdi Deborah Volgt
NOTE TO READERS HE YEAR 2013 marks the 200th anniversary of Giuseppe Verdi's birth Verdi not only gave us glorious operas but lived his life with devotion to his country and its people His concerns ranged from the lofty ideals of freedom for his compatriots to compas sion for the less fortunate and to the nurturing of the land He lived through the horrible loss of his family and had to deal with the disapproving opinions of his neighbors The composer became a national symbol of patriotism and Italian culture Today his operas are performed throughout the world From this book you will gain knowledge about Verdi's life an understanding of Italy's revolutionary struggle and a taste of opera that will I hope develop into a lasting interest that can enrich each day Operatic and musical terms are set in bold type at their first appearance in the text and defined in a glossary in the back Sidebars throughout expand on the people and events that touched Verdi's life and music notes delve more deeply into the musical concepts introduced The activities are fun and enter taining and they highlight aspects of Verdi's life
