Verdi biography book

On October 9, 1813, in the small town of Roncole, Italy, a baby by the name of Giuseppe Verdi was born. Little did his parents know that this child, born in the auspicious week of the Feast of San Donnino, would grow up to be not only a national hero of Italy, but also one of the most successful composers of all time.

Many books have been written about Verdi's music, yet few have sufficiently covered Verdi the man. Now, in Verdi: A Biography Mary Jane Phillips-Matz brings us the result of more than thirty years' research on the life of this colossus of Italy.
Drawing on numerous original documents provided by Verdi's descendants, the Carrara-Verdi family, this long awaited biography presents a reexamination of Verdi's life not only as a composer, but as a philanthropist and son of Italy.

Matz places Verdi against a backdrop of a century of fierce Italian nationalism that dictated that not only musical, but political considerations permeate his life and work.