Verdi, Giuseppe, VAR dee, joo ZEHP peh (1813-1901), was an Italian composer of operas. His works are performed more often today than those of any other opera composer. Between 1851 and 1871, Verdi produced a remarkable series of masterpieces, including Rigoletto (1851), Il Trovatore (1853), La Traviata (1853), The Sicilian Vespers (1855), Simon Boccanegra (1857, revised 1881), A Masked Ball (1859), La Forza del Destino (1862), Don Carlos (1867), and Aida (1871). Verdi wrote 26 operas. He composed all to Italian librettos (texts) except the Sicilian Vespers and Don Carlos, which he wrote to French librettos.