Abstract The Italian Prime Minister visited New York City on the 100th anniversary of Garibaldi's death. This paper focuses on the life of this man, what he achieved and why he was considered as such a hero to the Italian people of the time. It uses the above visit as a take-off point.
From the Paper "As I went through the New York Times for April 2, 1982, I came across some very interesting stories. One that caught my attention was entitled, Italy's President Tours City. It was ironic that the day I was born, the President of Italy came to the United States. I thought maybe it was foreshadowing my future. At first, I was going to write about Sandro Pertini, the Italian president at the time of my birth; but, as I read on, I realized he came to New York City to visit the museum for Giuseppe Garibaldi. April 2, 1982 was the 100 year anniversary of his death, which is celebrated with much enthusiasm in Italy."
Abstract This paper examines how two of the most notable romantic composers of the 19th century are Richard Wagner and Giuseppe Verdi. It looks at how both composers share the distinction of being the greatest opera composers of their home county. Wagner was acknowledged as the greatest German composer of the 19th century and Verdi as the greatest Italian composer. The paper also examines how both composers experimented on their own style and how both composers have influenced many composers after them.
Outline:
Short Biographies
Richard Wagner
Works of Richard Wagner
Giuseppe Verdi: Life and Works
Wagner vs. Verdi
From the Paper "The later years of Richard Wagner gave rise to his masterpieces which advanced the art of opera. His masterpieces in this stage in life include Tirstan und Isolde (1857-59) which was considered by many to be Wagner's greatest single opera. Another masterpiece was Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg (1862-67) which was Wagner's only comedic opera. This stage in Wagner's life is also responsible for the creation of one of the lengthiest operas that is still performed today, Der Ring Des Nibelungen (The Ring Cycle) which took around 20 years to complete and requires around 15 hours to perform. The Ring Cycle is a set of four operas that are based on characters and elements from the Norse mythology especially those of the Teutonic myth. "
Abstract This paper discusses the strategic position of Giuseppe's Original Sausage Company and the marketing techniques adopted by the founder Joe Cotrone. The company has been very successful in introducing various varieties of sausages in the Memphis area, which were hitherto unknown.
Abstract The paper provides a brief biography of Giuseppe Verdi and discusses the music and opera in the early to mid-1800s in Italy that influenced him. The paper examines how Verdi subsequently influenced opera in Europe in general and Italy in particular and focuses on five of his operas, "Nabucco", "Rigoletto", "La Traviata", "Aida" and "Falstaff". Finally, the paper presents an assessment of Verdi's subsequent influence on later composers.
Outline:
Introduction
Review and Discussion
Conclusion
From the Paper "In the Age of Information where access to entertainment is straightforward and virtually limitless, it may be hard for modern observers to appreciate the importance of a medium such as opera to the citizens of the 19th century, but the research will show that composers such as Giuseppe Verdi enjoyed superstar status based on their enormous popularity. Like many composers, Verdi exhibited a proclivity for music early in his life and through a series of fortuitous occurrences, his interest in music was groomed and he subsequently became a prolific composer with a number of masterpiece operas to his credit. Given his enduring popularity and impact on modern music, an investigation into Verdi's life and works represents a worthwhile endeavor today."
Abstract GiuseppeGaribaldi's popularity, his skill at rousing the masses and his military exploits are all credited with making the unification of Italy possible. He also served as a global example of mid-19th century revolutionary nationalism and liberalism. This paper shows that following the liberation of southern Italy from the Neapolitan monarchy, however, Garibaldi chose to sacrifice his liberal republican principles for the sake of unification.
From the Paper "For many years Garibaldi lived the life of a farmer on Caprera. In 1870 he offered his services to the French government and fought with his two sons in the Franco-Prussian War. Rome was annexed to Italy in October 1870, and Garibaldi was elected a member of the Italian parliament in 1874. In his last years he sympathized with the developing socialist movement in Italy and other countries. Giuseppe Garibaldi died on the Italian island of Caprera in 1882, where he was interred. Five ships of the Italian Navy have been named after him, among which a World War II cruiser and the current flagship, the aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi."
Abstract The paper focuses on Guiseppe di Lampedusa's novel "The Leopard", which is a poignant and psychologically gripping story about the fall of a powerful Sicilian aristocracy. The paper looks at how di Lampedusa discusses many topics in the novel, including religion, politics, women, history, astronomy and the Sicilian landscape.
From the Paper "The Leopard is a fictional novel by Giuseppe di Lampedusa and was published posthumously in 1958. Lampedusa's novel chronicles the history of a Sicilian aristocracy and its decline in the 1860s. The unification of Sicily occurs and is led by Garibaldi. This event results in a loss of power for the Prince of Salina, Don Fabrizio, who is accustomed to feudal politics and strongly opposes The Risorgimento. Prince Fabrizio finds himself steadily losing power to the new revolution and ultimately has to come to accept the new social and political changes in Sicily. Giuseppe di Lampedusa discusses many topics in the novel including religion, politics, women, history, astronomy, and Sicilian landscape."
Abstract This paper discusses the process that led to political unification of 19th century Italy and Germany. The paper explains that Italy was dominated and influenced by the personalities of politicians Camillo Cavour, Mazzini, and the revolutionary Garibaldi, while Germany's political situation was shaped by King William I of Prussia and by Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. The paper elaborates on the national efforts made by each of these personalities.
From the Paper "The national sentiment was developing at the time, so the need for a unified state for each nation was evident. Piedmont and Prussia had the historical role of coagulating the Italian and the German nations around their power, the latter being considerably influenced by the former. According to an author, "two separate stories intertwine: on the one hand, the new nation-states, Italy and Germany, took shape; on the other, a significant adjustment took place in the relation between politics and culture. Challenging the legitimate, dynastic authority, and doing so in a historical context where the mobilization of public opinion has taken on new importance, the new political order derived its legitimacy from cultural claims; and culture in turn found its erstwhile apolitical status -- the aestheticized Italy of the unpolitical Germans -growing increasingly untenable.""
Tags: camillo, cavour, mazzini, garibaldi, otto, von, bismarck
Abstract This paper discusses two twentieth century poets and looks at what their works say of existentialism. The two poets discussed are Giuseppe Ungaretti and Eugenio Montale, of whom John Pilling writes, "Only two modern Italian poets, Giuseppe Ungaretti and Eugenio Montale, have had a profound impact throughout Europe." The writer points out that both poets show an authenticity in their work that emerges from their own inner life and that also demonstrates the artist struggling to find meaning in a world that blocks much meaning and that ultimately leads only to death and a form of negation.
From the Paper "Existentialism was a highly influential philosophy in literature in the twentieth century. Two of the leading figures in the movement in France were also literary lights of the time, Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre, and a number of other European writers also show the influence of this philosophy on their work. Two important Italian poets fit into this category, these being Giuseppe Ungaretti and Eugenio Montale, of whom John Pilling writes, "Only two modern Italian poets, Giuseppe Ungaretti and Eugenio Montale, have had a profound impact throughout Europe". Giuseppe Ungaretti was both in Egypt of Tuscan parents, and he was schooled in the best French tradition and wrote his first poems in French."
Abstract This paper discusses that, unlike the Rossini version of the same story, Verdi and Boito's opera "Otello" keeps the plot of the original Shakespeare story intact. This paper presents the opera in detail and denotes that the music and operatic forms are in keeping with the nature of each character. The author believes that the music and the drama are perfectly balanced in "Otello" because Verdi uses the music to further the drama and to create tones for each shift in dramatic emphasis.
From the Paper "Act II begins with an orchestral introduction that mirrors Iago's energy. Iago delivers his famous soliloquy "Credo in un Dio crudel" and expresses his credo of evil. Continuing to find ways to express Iago's shifting energy, Verdi orchestrates the credo in a way that hovers between arioso and aria, "its devious harmonic and formal twists continuing to the last." When Otello arrives, the two sing a duet that continues to the end of the act, lining the action and words of the entire act around this specific confrontation and the way Iago manipulates Otello during it."
Abstract This paper presents a brief cultural autobiography of the character of Malena, in the film by Giuseppe Tornatore, examining how gender, race, and class shaped the character's life and her choices. The paper discusses the "lesions" that Malena experienced, and looks at how they affected her life, and whether Malena was able to overcome them. The paper looks at whether Malena was somehow transformed by her experiences, and explores the notion of transformation by discussing how she successfully overcame her oppressive forces. The writer discusses, in particular, the tools with which she managed to do this.
Abstract This paper discusses a scene in Giuseppe Verdi's opera "La Traviata". The paper considers the First Act and how it introduces the characters and the situation, foreshadowing much of what is to come while also showing the conflicts within the two main characters and between them as well. The paper notes how both action and music express the same ideas and emotional attitudes.
From the Paper "In the nineteenth century, the role of women in the theater was often either as victims or as sinners, often at one and the same time. As a rule, women who rebel against the strictures of their society were destroyed. An example is Violetta in La Traviata by Verdi: Violetta ValJry. . . finds she rebels without even trying. . . All around her, members of the family judge, execute, and lay down the law. She dances, she drinks. But the champagne she swallows has none of the grandiose vainglory of Don Giovanni's goblet; her steps are numbered and her lifetime."
This essay takes a look at Modern Europe from a micro-historical perspective, weighing the benefits of micro-history against the broad perspective of macro-history.
Abstract This essay explores Modern Europe and, more specifically, modern Italy, with a micro-historical magnifying glass. By exploring specific incidences and personal accounts, the micro-histories tell the stories that the macro-histories often overlook. By taking a detailed look at the "Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara," by David Kertzer, the Papal hierarchy and the changing tides in Europe, this essay highlights all the small steps that are taken in order to make giant leaps in history.
From the Paper "The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara artfully skews the boundaries that traditionally separate macro-history from micro-history. In his meticulous account of Edgardo Mortara, David Kertzer intimately reveals the controversial struggles endured by the Mortara family in mid-nineteenth century Italy. The tyrannical conventions of old-regime papal authority discordantly clash with the emerging post-enlightenment ideology as Kertzer places the fate of a young Jewish boy in context with European anti-Semitism and Italian unification. Throughout the course of his historic narrative, David Kertzer skillfully analyzes the infrastructure of Italian authority and explains how changes in public opinion throughout the world ultimately resulted in the downfall of papal dominance. Surprisingly ignored by most modern historians, Kertzer portrays the Mortara incident as a pivotal point in Italian unification and the institutional collapse of the church."
Abstract This paper studies the great Italian scientist and inventor of the electric motor, Alessandro Giuseppe Antonio Anastasio Volta, who is considered among the pioneers of the modern science. It includes an historical overview of his life and his greatest inventions including: Electrophorus, isolating the compound methane and many gadgets. It discusses his many contributions to the scientific world as well as the recognition and rewards he received for them.
From the Paper "Though the invention of Electrophorus was a huge success for Volta but his continuous research work brought several other successes to him. He became the first person to isolate the compound methane in the year 1778. His journey of success continued as he accepted a proposal to work as a professor at the University of Pavia in 1779. In the meantime he continued his research in the field and made several other inventions such as gadgets which were invented on the basis of the principles of static electricity. Because of his great inventions and high contribution in the field of electricity he was awarded the Copley Medal of the Royal Society in 1791. His works were not restricted to static electricity but he also worked in the area of dynamic electricity. His works in the area of dynamic were primarily an idea derived from the results of the experiments conducted by Galvani, who was a friend of Volta."
Abstract The following paper examines the novel, 'The Leopard' , a story that takes place in the backdrop of the Italian Revolution of the 1860's highlighting the views of the aristocratic class at the time when the demise of the monarchy was imminent. Concepts such as monarchies, elite feudalism, the industrial revolution and Nationalism are discussed. The way in which the critics reviewed this novel, which was published in 1958, is also discussed.
From the Paper "The Leopard was written by Giuseppe Di Lampedusa much before his death but was published posthumously in 1958. The first English translation of the book appeared in 1960 after which it gained worldwide fame and became one of the very few novels from Italy to reach such heights of recognition. Lampedusa was praised for his intelligent writing style, his vivid imagination and his good command over the Italian history. But the last part was not exactly difficult for the man who himself was a prince and has based the story on his own experiences and observations. The story takes place in 1860 Italy when unification was taking place and this meant end to a long dynasty of monarchs. The society was rapidly changing and this led to the demise of aristocracy in Italy."
From the Paper "The requiem mass is a curious case of a text that has been given hundreds of different musical settings in many different forms -- from plainsong to polyphonic to orchestral -- and styles. The words of the traditional Latin form of the mass are, in themselves, very moving. But the choices composers have made over the centuries have contributed enormously to the emotional and spiritual impact of the text. Each composer who addressed the problem of setting this text had his own motivations and produced a work that bore his individual stamp. A comparison of two requiems, those by Giuseppe Verdi and Gabriel Faur?, demonstrates how the same subject and the same words can be given radically different interpretations by two fine composers. Curiously, in a religious form, neither man was a believer. Yet their Requiems possess the same or even greater spiritual..."
