Giuseppe Verdi (1813–1901, Italy) was one of Italy's greatest and most influential composers whose operas, including La Traviata, Rigoletto and Aida, helped define 19th‑century musical and dramatic expression. Writing and composing no fewer than 28 major operas, in addition to a number of songs and a few sacred works such as the Requiem (1874), Verdi’s oeuvre remains to this day central to the operatic canon for its emotional intensity and international longevity.

Verdi played a prominent public role in Italy’s cultural life during the Risorgimento and later served briefly as a senator in the newly unified kingdom. He worked closely with leading librettists, including Arrigo Boito, a collaboration that brought him out of retirement for his final three operas, including a revised version of Simon Boccanegra in 1881, and oversaw the construction of Casa di Riposo per Musicisti in Milan, a retirement home for musicians.