Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi ( ; ; 9 or 10 October 1813 - 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto, a small town in the modern province of Parma, to a family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the help of a local patron named Antonio Barezzi.

Verdi came to dominate the Italian opera