who composed it?
Giuseppe Verdi
Falstaff (opera)
Falstaff () is a comic opera in three acts by the Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi. 
what is falstaff? A comic opera when did such type of opera start? UNANSWERABLE
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Falstaff (opera) [SEP] Introduction
Falstaff () is a comic opera in three acts by the Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi. The libretto was adapted by Arrigo Boito from Shakespeare's "The Merry Wives of Windsor" and scenes from "Henry IV", parts 1 and 2. The work premiered on 9 February 1893 at La Scala, Milan. Verdi wrote "Falstaff", which was the last of his 28 operas, as he was approaching the age of 80. It was his second comedy, and his third work based on a Shakespeare play, following "Macbeth" and "Otello". The plot revolves around the thwarted, sometimes farcical, efforts of the fat knight, Sir John Falstaff, to seduce two married women to gain access to their husbands' wealth.