Margherita Barezzi(1814 — 1840)
Margherita Barezzi
duché de Parme et Plaisance, royaume de Lombardie-Vénétie
6 min read
Margherita Barezzi was the first wife of the Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi. The daughter of Antonio Barezzi, a patron and protector of the young Verdi, she married him in 1836. Her untimely death in 1840, following that of their two infant children, plunged the composer into deep despair.
Frequently asked questions
Key Facts
- Daughter of Antonio Barezzi, a merchant and patron who protected the young Verdi in Busseto
- Marries Giuseppe Verdi on 4 May 1836
- Gives birth to two children, Virginia (1837) and Icilio (1838), both of whom die in infancy
- Dies prematurely on 18 June 1840, probably of encephalitis
- Her death, following that of her children, plunges Verdi into deep mourning while he was composing a comic opera
Works & Achievements
As a member of the Barezzi family, Margherita contributed to the loving environment that allowed Verdi to pursue his career, with her father funding the young composer's studies.
A union that sealed the bond between the composer and the Barezzi household, and accompanied Verdi's professional beginnings.
The first child of the Verdi couple, who died in infancy in 1838.
The couple's second child, who also died in infancy in 1839, adding to the family's tragedy.
The loss of Margherita and the children deeply marked Verdi's sensibility, and his later operas often explore grief and loss.
Anecdotes
Margherita was the daughter of Antonio Barezzi, a wealthy music-loving merchant from Busseto who chaired the local Philharmonic Society. It was in the Barezzi household that the young Verdi, still unknown, gave music lessons to Margherita: that is how the two young people fell in love.
Antonio Barezzi believed so strongly in Verdi's talent that he funded his musical studies in Milan and welcomed him into his home like a son. Verdi's marriage to his daughter Margherita, in May 1836, sealed this already almost familial bond between the patron and the composer.
In the span of less than two years, between 1838 and 1840, Verdi lost his two young children, Virginia and then Icilio, both of whom died in infancy. Margherita herself passed away in June 1840, probably from encephalitis, when she was only 26 years old.
These successive bereavements struck Verdi at the very moment he was supposed to compose a comic opera, *Un giorno di regno*. The work, written in grief, was a resounding failure, and the devastated composer briefly considered giving up music altogether.
Verdi remained attached to the memory of the Barezzi family all his life. Many years later, it was still to his father-in-law Antonio that he dedicated some of his most tender thoughts, and the memory of Margherita continued to quietly haunt his life as a man.
Primary Sources
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi marries Margherita Barezzi, daughter of Antonio Barezzi, in the collegiate church of Busseto.
Death of Margherita Barezzi, wife of the maestro Giuseppe Verdi, at the age of twenty-six.
Within the span of about two months, three dear ones passed away. First my little boy, then my little girl, and finally the third blow: my young companion.
Key Places
Small town in the Duchy of Parma where Margherita was born and where the Barezzi family lived. The cradle of her meeting and marriage with Verdi.
Home of the patron Antonio Barezzi, where Verdi was welcomed and gave lessons to Margherita. Today a museum dedicated to Verdi.
Site of the marriage of Margherita Barezzi and Giuseppe Verdi on 4 May 1836.
The Lombard capital of musical culture where the couple settled and where Verdi made his debut at La Scala. It was there that Margherita died in 1840.