Giuseppe Verdi was born on Oct. 10, 1813, in Busseto (Parma) which was then a part of the French Empire. He came from a humble beginning. His mother was a seamstress and his father was employed as a clerk.

The organist at his church befriended him at a young age and taught him how to play the piano. At the age of 15, in 1828, he wrote and performed his first symphony at the teatro of Busseto. Soon afterwards local music patron recognized his talents and paid for him to study music theory at the Conservatorio di Milano.