Daily Photo: Giuseppe Verdi Celebrates His Namesake’s Birthday

Today is the birthday of Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi, and Giuseppe Basil Verdi will perform a special tenor aria in his honor.

Why is Giuseppe an opera signer? Well, because his name is Giuseppe Verdi.

And why is his name Giuseppe Verdi? Long story, but it began with his mama…I named Mimi (accent on the second syllable, in the French way) for the lead soprano in the opera La Boheme, my favorite opera (doesn’t everyone have a favorite opera?), the beautiful and delicate embroiderer who falls in love with Rodolfo, the poet, as they all live the Bohemian lifestyle in late 20th century Paris. Mimi was wandering the streets out in my neighborhood, hardly Parisian, but she was tiny and delicate and as they described the people of that day and time “keeping rather loose morals”, resulting in a number of kittens.

So when her children came along they had to have some connection to their mama’s heritage, though she was forever a spayed and happy house cat once she came here.

Combine that with the fact that, in order to tell them apart as nearly identical little fluff balls I dabbed a spot of tempera paint on the right ear top of three of them. Giuseppe’s color, totally by chance, was green. Green…Verdi? Opera? Giuseppe Verdi, famous opera composer? Get it?

Giuseppe turned out to be a perfect name for the guy, though when he was a little peanut the name seemed way too big for him and I called him Joe Green, and I called him Joey. But he eventually grew into his three syllables and he loves his name, Giuseppe, or as I sing it to him: Gee-you-seh-p-e-e-e-e-e, and we sing together! Not only that but he sings in the stairway to the second floor on a regular basis, and he sings out the window now and then as well. And he loves ravioli.

Giuseppe sings a favorite aria

Giuseppe sings best when he thinks of his belle femme Mlle. Daisy Emerald Marguerite, and he chose this aria from Verdi’s Don Carlos from the first time he sees his Elisabeth, and also because there is a French character in the opera with Mlle.’s surname.

Fontainebleau! Immense, lonely forest!
Could any gorgeous gardens, full of flowers and light,
replace this frozen earth for Don Carlos, happy here
where his smiling Elisabeth has passed by?
Leaving Spain and my father’s court,
risking Philip’s fearsome anger,
hidden among his ambassador’s staff,
I have managed to see her at last, my lovely betrothed,
who has for so long ruled in my thoughts,
and from now on will rule in my heart!

I have seen her, and in her smile,
in her eyes full of bewitching fire,
my heart, filled with emotion, has understood
what bliss it would be to live and to love her.
A future full of tenderness!
Our days spent beneath blue skies!
God smiles on our youth,
God blesses our chaste love!

Found on Verdi: Don Carlo

Pour toujours, Mlle.!

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