Giuseppe Verdi was the greatest of Italian opera composers and the dominant figure in nineteenth-century opera houses. For while Wagner’s music dramas and his theories of opera attracted much excited attention, Verdi’s operas got many more performances. Then as now, people were inevitably drawn to compare and contrast these two masters.

The heart of the contrast lies in Verdi’s unswerving commitment to the human voice. In this, he was a faithful follower of the bel canto principles of his Italian predecessors Rossini, Donizetti, and Bellini (see page 258). Verdi never allowed the voice to be overshadowed by the orchestra, and from early on in his career he showed a special talent for writing both beautiful, Romantic melodies and catchy tunes. Opera was a singing art to Verdi, and generations of opera lovers before, during, and after his lifetime have enthusiastically agreed with him.

But while audiences have always loved Verdi’s melodies, what he himself cared most about was the dramatic quality of his operas. First and foremost, Verdi was interested in people, people placed in situations in which strong, exciting actions bring out equally strong emotions. He sought out dramatic subjects full of stirring action, and he had a genius for finding just the right vocal melody to capture a dramatic situation.