Giovanni Paisiello

Vocation

Lifestyle

Italian opera composer. Paisiello's father was a veterinarian in service to the King of Naples. He sent his son to a local monastery when the boy was 8 years old and the monks there were captivated by his beautiful voice and musical memory. In 1754, they sent him to Naples to study at the conservatory. He spent several years there. In his ninth and final year one of his compositions, an opera, was performed to positive reviews. He continued to write operas. In 1776 he was brought to the Russian court of Catherine II as her music master and stayed for nine years. His "Barber of Seville" became the model for Rossini's later opera by the same name. In 1784 he was back in Naples in service as Chapel Master to Ferdinando IV. He later moved to Paris under the aegis of Napoleon. In March 1803, his opera "Proserpine" was performed at the Paris Opera House. It was to be his last opera. Moving back to Naples as he and his wife were aging, he met with great acclaim and protection by Joseph Bonaparte. Once the Bourbons attained power, however, his pension was revoked. His wife died in 1815 and Paisiello died the following year, June 5, 1816 in Naples. Link to Wikipedia biography