Editing Otello (section)

===Verdi's intended retirement===

[[File:GiuseppeVerdi.jpg|thumbnail|Verdi, c. 1870]]
After the completion and premiere of his opera ''[[Aida]]'' in December 1871, Verdi decided that it was time for him to end his successful career as a [[composer]] of opera, much as [[Gioachino Rossini|Rossini]] had done after the completion of the opera ''[[William Tell (opera)|William Tell]]'', though he was easily the most popular, and possibly the wealthiest, composer in Italy at the time. However, Verdi's sixties were not good years: as musicologist [[Julian Budden]] notes, "he seemed to have entered [those years] in a mood of gloom and depression [..and..] his letters at the time were full of complaints about the Italian theatre, Italian politics and Italian music in general [all] seen by him as sinking beneath a tide of Germanism".{{sfn|Budden|1992|p=295}}

Because of the immense popularity of Verdi's music in Italy by the 1870s, Verdi's retirement seemed to his publisher, [[Giulio Ricordi]], to be a waste of talent and possible profits. Thus a plot of sorts was hatched in order to coax the composer out of retirement to write another opera. Because of the importance of the dramatic aspects of opera to the composer, Verdi was especially selective in his choice of subjects. Consequently, if he were to agree to create another opera after a decade of retirement, the libretto would need to be one that would capture his interest.

During the period when a suitable story was being sought for what became ''Aida'', Ricordi had come across Boito's partly finished libretto of his own opera ''[[Nerone (Boito)|Nerone]]'', and he even suggested in a letter of February 1870 to Verdi that, with Boito's permission, he set it to music. Verdi ignored it, and so Ricordi tried again in January 1871, enclosing with his letter a copy of Boito's libretto for Boito's friend and collaborator [[Franco Faccio]]'s ''[[Amleto]]'' which had been given in 1865 and was revived in February 1871.{{sfn|Budden|1992|pp=298–299}} Nothing came of this approach, although Ricordi persevered in various ways, as seen by the composer's gruff response to the publisher's statement "The whole salvation of the theatre and the art is in your hands" when Verdi wrote in April 1875 that "I cannot take it as but a joke", continuing with "Oh no, never fear, composers for the theatre will never be lacking".<ref>Verdi to Ricordi, April 1875, in {{harvnb|Walker|1982|pp=469–470}}</ref>

Verdi's refusals continued as the 1870s progressed. Knowing of his interest in the soprano [[Adelina Patti]], Ricordi tried to entice him into writing an opera for her, but Verdi's refusal resulted in another approach via a letter to the composer's wife [[Giuseppina Strepponi|Giuseppina]], who was to present the idea at an opportune time. But she confessed defeat yet again.{{sfn|Walker|1982|p=471}} [[Clara Maffei]] also tried, unsuccessfully, in March 1878 to interest Verdi, who replied: "For what reason should I write? What would I succeed in doing?"{{sfn|Budden|1992|loc=Verdi to Clara Maffei, 19 March 1878. p.&nbsp;299}}

While he was attempting to get Verdi involved a new opera, in May 1879 Ricordi also tried to engage the composer in revising ''[[Simon Boccanegra]]''. This suggestion, originally expressed ten years before but ignored, was once again shrugged off by Verdi, who sent a note saying that the 1857 score, which had been sent to the composer for review, would remain untouched "just as you sent it to me".{{sfn|Budden|2002|loc=Verdi to Ricordi, 2 May 1879. p.&nbsp;255}}

Persisting with further attempts to convince the composer, Ricordi had also broached the idea of a collaboration with Boito for a new opera based on Shakespeare's ''[[Othello]]''. Verdi admired the dramatic works of Shakespeare and had, throughout his career, desired to create operas based on his plays, although his one attempt at doing so, ''[[Macbeth (Verdi)|Macbeth]]'' in 1847, although initially successful, was not well received when revised for performance in Paris in 1865.{{sfn|Parker|1998|p=111}} Because of its relatively straightforward story, the play ''Othello'' was selected as a likely target.

Collaborations with Boito in the revision of the 1857 opera ''Simon Boccanegra'' helped to convince Verdi of Boito's ability as a librettist. Musicologist [[Roger Parker]] speculates that Verdi's final agreement to revise ''Boccanegra'' was based on a desire to "test the possibility" of working with Boito before possibly embarking on the larger project.{{sfn|Parker|1998|p=382}} Frank Walker expresses much the same thoughts, noting that "some of the results, such as the magnificent scene in the Council Chamber and the villainous Paolo's Iago-like recitatives, foreshadow the later opera."{{sfn|Walker|1982|p=484}}