VERDI AND VITTORIO EMANUEL

(this is some information that I received from Dr. Michael Ballam, this information is unedited notes of Dr. Ballam, hence there are the spelling error and typos. It is my intent to not edit them for the purpuse of not risking to change the meaning of the text. It is my desire to inform you of these errors so as to not take away any credibiliy from Dr. Ballam because of possible impressions that these mistakes may have on people to lower his credibility.)
VERDI AND VITTORIO EMANUEL
In southern Europe, revolution was on the minds of the people as well. Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901), Italy’s most prolific and revered operatic composer was also an important influence in the Risorgimento (revolution) of Italy. In 1842 Verdi wrote Nabucco, an opera based on the biblical history of the tyranny heaped upon the Children of Israel by the Babylonians. It is the story of King Nebuchadnezzar (630-562 B.C.), king of Babylonia between 605-562 B.C.,captured Jerusalem in 597 B.C. and destroyed it in 586 B.C. and the plight of the Hebrews who are wrenched from their homeland and taken into captivity by a foreign power. The people of Italy could certainly identify with the plight of the Hebrew children, as such had been their own case for centuries. During the premiere of Nabucco, when the Hebrew Children sang their mournful, yet hopeful hymn Va Pensiero (fly with our thoughts) the people were moved to tears. The chorus reflects on the idea that personal freedoms and properties can be taken away from us, but we are still free in our thoughts. The parallels of the captive Hebrews and the tyrannized Italians caused them to identify strongly with the moment in the opera, compelling the audience to shout ancora (encore!). The hymn was repeated numerous times and became the unofficial anthem of the risurgimento (revolution). Even Verdi’s name came the acronym for the movement. The phrase Viva Verdi, came to stand for Vittorio Emanuelo Rè D’Italia or Long live Victor Emanuel, King of Italy. Verdi’s philanthropic life (he left his estate to establish a rest home for elderly singers and musicians) as well as his love for his people and homeland made him beloved above most any other composer of history. On the outside of the hotel adjacent to La Scala, the great opera house of Milano where Verdi dedicated his life is a plaque to announce to the world that Verdi died there. It says in bronze relief “Qui la spirito della Maestro accendevit a cielo”, (it was from here, that the spirit of the master ascended to heaven). A fitting obituary for a great man. When Verdi’s body was brought from the cathedral in Milano to be placed in a carriage to begin the final journey to his resting place in the center of his endowed rest home, hundreds of thousands of visitors in attendance began simultaneously, without cue to sing Va Pensiero. Can the musical works of one person influence thousands, even millions, both during their lifetimes but in the future as well. Indeed! During Verdi’s most productive years, here in America we were struggling with great conflict. The Civil War brought more loss of life and property than any other for Americans in history. The battle waged for years and seemed to have no end.