Editing Giuseppe Verdi (section)

===Nationalism in the operas===
Historians have debated how political Verdi's operas were. In particular, the ''[[Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves]]'' (known as ''Va, pensiero'') from the third act of the opera ''[[Nabucco]]'' was used an anthem for Italian patriots, who were seeking to unify their country and free it from foreign control in the years up to 1861 (the chorus's theme of exiles singing about their homeland, and its lines such as ''O mia patria, si bella e perduta'' / "O my country, so lovely and so lost" were thought to have resonated with many Italians).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/NATMUSIC.html |title=Modern History Sourcebook: Music and Nationalism |publisher=Fordham.edu |access-date=31 May 2015}}</ref> Beginning in Naples in 1859 and spreading throughout Italy, the slogan "Viva VERDI" was used as an acronym for '''''Viva''' '''V'''ittorio '''E'''manuele '''R'''e '''D'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>'''I'''talia'' (''Long live Victor Emmanuel King of Italy''), referring to [[Victor Emmanuel II of Italy|Victor Emmanuel II]].{{sfn|Parker|1998|p=942}}{{sfn|Budden|1984c|p=80}} Marco Pizzo argues that after 1815, music became a political tool, and many songwriters expressed ideals of freedom and equality. Pizzo claims that Verdi was part of this movement, for his operas were inspired by the love of country, the struggle for Italian independence, and spoke to the sacrifice of patriots and exiles.<ref>Marco Pizzo, "Verdi, Musica e Risorgimento," ''Rassegna Storica del Risorgimento'' (2001) 87 supplement 4 pp. 37–44</ref> George Martin claims Verdi was "the greatest artist" of the [[Risorgimento]]. "Throughout his work its values, its issues recur constantly, and he expressed them with great power".<ref>{{cite book|author=George Whitney Martin|title=Aspects of Verdi|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5nN5c9144XwC&pg=PA3|year=1988|publisher=Limelight Editions|pages=3–4|isbn=978-0-87910-172-5}}</ref>

But [[Mary Ann Smart]] argues that music critics at the time seldom mentioned any political themes.<ref>[[Mary Ann Smart]], "Verdi, Italian Romanticism, and the Risorgimento," in {{harvnb|Balthazar|2004|pages=29–45}}</ref><ref>[[Mary Ann Smart]], "How political were Verdi's operas? Metaphors of progress in the reception of ''I Lombardi alla prima crociata''", ''[[Journal of Modern Italian Studies]]'' (2013) 18#2 pp. 190–204.</ref> Likewise, Roger Parker argues that the political dimension of Verdi's operas was exaggerated by nationalistic historians in the late 19th century.<ref>[[Roger Parker]], "Verdi politico: a wounded cliché regroups." ''[[Journal of Modern Italian Studies]]'' 17#4 (2012): 427–436.</ref>

[[File:Verdi statue.jpg|thumb|upright|Luigi Secchi's 1913 statue of Verdi in Busseto]]
From the 1850s onwards, Verdi's operas displayed few patriotic themes because of the heavy censorship by the absolutist regime in power. Verdi later became disillusioned by politics, but he was personally active part in the political world of events of the Risorgimento and was elected to the first Italian parliament in 1861.<ref>Franco DellaPeruta, "Verdi e il Risorgimento," ''Rassegna Storica del Risorgimento'' (2001) 88#1 pp. 3–24</ref>