English
Italian
Born of a silk weaver in the Brianza district Giuseppe Parini studied in Milan and was ordained as a priest. He's the celebrated author of "Il Giorno" ("The Day") a satyrical poem on the vices of the Milanese nobility, but the rest of his poetical production isn't up to his masterpiece. Parini was the protegé of Count Firmian, Austria's Minister in Lombardy, which explains why he accepted to write a Te Deum after an Austrian victory. It must be added that he once suffered a nervous breakdown at the mere thought of having to write a poem in honour of Empress Maria Theresia of Austria.
