The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-10-11
THE VERDI CENT ENARY
MONUMENT TO BE UNVEILED IN
PARMA, ITALY-GREAT CON-
POSER OF CHURCH MUSIC AND
OF OPERAS.

1t was century on the tenth of
this month since Giuseppe Verdi was
born at LIE Roncole, Parma, Italy, and
already commemorative celebrations
have commenced in Italy. At the early
age of ten Verdi was so proficient in
music that he became organist of the
village church. From 1926 to 1929 he
took lessons from Provost, organist of
Busseto Cathedral, and never in the
course of his subsequent career lost
sight of the ecclesiastical side of his
art. He deserves to be reckoned
amongst great Church composers.
Amongst his religious compositions
are a~"Pater Noster' for five voices;
an ave Maria" for soprano solo and
strings; a "Te Deum" for two four
part choirs, voices, and orchestra; a
''Stabat Mater" four-part, and two
motets in honor of the Blessed Virgin.
In his Music in the History of the
Western Church" Professor Dickinson
says: I'm Verdi we have truly filial
devotion to the Catholic Church,
united to temperament easily ex-
cited to a white heat when submitted
to his musical inspiration. Verdi, who
it may be stated visited England in
1855, 1862, and 1875, accepted appoint
ment from the King of Italy as a
Senator in the last-named year, but
never assisted at a single sitting. His
position as the representative of Bus
seto in the Italian Parliament he had
resigned some time before in conse
quence of the treatment to which the
Pope had been subjected.
Since April there has been in course
of construction a monument to the
composer which, when finished, will
probably be the largest memorial ever
erected to musician. A site has been
cleared opposite the railway station
for this huge expression of national
admiration, which will take the form
of triumphal arch, fanked by semi
curcular colonnades, designed by the
architect Marchese Lamberto Cusani
of Parma. The sculpture will be
mainly the work of Ettore Ximenes.
Verdi is represented, not with the
large untidy hat, the shapeless clothes,
and the ancient umbrella with which
one most naturally associates him, but
draped in the toga of classic cere-
mony, surrounded by allegorical
figures; the colonnades are adorned
with colossal statues representing
Aida, the Treviata, Rigoletto, and
other characters from the operas A
bronze figure of Glory in a chariot
drawn by lions is to crown the build
ing.
The exhibition will be held in the
"Mostra del Teatro," which occupies a
large pavilion of five rather crowded
rooms. An admirable system appears
to have been planned for the grouping
of the exhibits under different heads
portraits. photography, autographs,
scene-painting, costume, stage machin-
cry, advertisements, instruments, etc.,
but there has been hardly any at
tempt to arrange the objects system
atically throughout The most inter
esting section is the darkened room
containing a series of 27 stage models,
representing scenes from "intermezzi'
plays, and operas from the 10th cen
fury, mystery-plays down to Verdi's
"Falstaff'' For the main ideas of
these models Signor Rasi appears to
be responsible, as well as for the in
teresting unsigned notes on them in
the otherwise inadequate catalogue.
A cycle of seven of Verdis q
"Oberto Comic di San Bonifacio,"
operas began with the presentation of
Scala in 1899; then follow "Nabucco,' 2
Verdi's first opera, produced at the
81, "a and %; Don Carlos" (1867),
(1842), aida" (187D, September II,
September 81 and October 2; "Fal-
STAFF 1888, October and 4; "Rigo-
letto" (1851), October and 8; on Oc-
tober II the Requiem" is to be sung.