1. Had social media existed in the 19th century, it would likely have been flooded by mad twitter beef between Richard Wagner and Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian’s superior number of followers would have re-tweeted his concise retorts, while Wagner himself would have released a steady storm of poetic hammers, each struggling to remain within the 140 character limit. Those on either side of the debate were absolutely sure of their righteousness. The internet would have been ablaze.
Verdi was an absolute genius. He valued tradition without being a slave to obsolete conventions. He respected and promoted the players of his operas by molding melodies and drama to their specific talents.