
5,000 Pages of Verdi’s Drafts, Long Hidden, Will Be Made Public - pseudolus
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/25/arts/music/verdi-papers-italy.html
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natechols
Here's hoping for an undiscovered bassoon concerto!

On a more serious note, I really hope "made public" means making the digitized
copies available to anyone on the web, without restriction. There is an
enormous amount of music that has lapsed into the public domain (most of it
long out of print) that remains inaccessible because the parts can only be
found in a handful of libraries. Even worse, many libraries restrict borrowers
from making digital copies of public-domain works. Regardless of what Verdi
intended for his drafts, I can't help thinking that most deceased composers
would have been dismayed that their works remained obscure in an era where
they could be instantaneously disseminated across the world for anyone to
enjoy. (Time to donate to IMSLP again...)

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telesilla
I've been playing Verdi's piano reductions lately as a way to get to know his
operas better, so this comes as a wonderful surprise! He was not only a master
of lyricism and orchestration but also quite involved in politics and well-
loved during his time. Fascinating man.

[http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20131002-verdi-when-
music-m...](http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20131002-verdi-when-music-meets-
politics)

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pseudolus
I'm of two minds with regards to this story. On the one hand it is fantastic
to gain concrete insights into the processes that went into the creation of
his work. On the other hand, and more controversially, I can't help but think
that the artist was disrespected when his heirs didn't follow through with his
wishes that the drafts and notes be destroyed.

~~~
telesilla
Same with Kafka. I honestly think we're better for having his writing than
destroying his work like he asked.

Verdi—and Kafka—could have burnt his notes as he went so a part of me thinks,
maybe he was just being coy.

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anonu
> [...] scribbling on their covers: “Burn these papers.” Fortunately, his
> heirs never carried out those orders.

I would be rolling over in my grave if this were the case. Doesn't this feel
wrong?

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8bitsrule
"The Verdi villa was never widely open, but scholars complained that under the
family’s stewardship, it was far too difficult to access documents ... The
culture ministry took the trunk from the villa in January 2017, partly in
response to the complaints."

Mama mia.

