Part of a series providing comprehensive coverage of the life and works of great composers, this revised edition focuses on Giuseppe Verdi and is suitable for musicians, students and the general reader alike. Verdi the man, the operatic world in which he worked, his political ideals and his intellectual vision are all discussed in this book. In his survey of the music, Budden emphasizes the unique character of each work as well as the growing sophistication of Verdi's style. All the operas are fully covered, and a glossary explains the more obscure operatic terms current in Verdi's time.