Verdi for Kids by Helen Bauer

Author:Helen Bauer
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
Published: 2013-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

5

A LOVE STORY

1853-1859

“We are still the whole world to each other.”

—Giuseppina Strepponi Verdi

VERDI WAS RECEIVING a steady income from his operas, money that he could plow back into the farmlands he now owned. In 1848, when Verdi had bought the land located about two miles outside of Busseto, it was in poor condition. He built a large new manor house there and oversaw all the construction details. Verdi relished being in charge and always believed that he needed to take control of any event or situation that arose. When construction was complete, Verdi and Giuseppina Strepponi settled in to the new house, which they named Sant’Agata.

Next Verdi turned his attention to improving his own land as well as that of his fellow farmers in the region. He bought modern, steam-powered machines and taught his tenant farmers how to farm more efficiently using newly developed methods.

Verdi employed many people to maintain Sant’Agata with its extensive gardens and to work on his farm. The composer took an active role in the management of his large estates. He usually awoke at five o’clock in the morning to check on his crops and animals before breakfast. He oversaw various large projects, such as excavating canals for drainage and constructing roads that the farmers could use to bring their produce to market. He bought threshing machines powered by steam and modern plows to till the fields. The improvements benefited the farmers surrounding Busseto as well as people from the entire area near the village. Despite his busy life the composer made time to pursue hobbies such as quail hunting and collecting the autographs of the famous people he met on his travels or those who came to visit him.

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