(1760-1842)
Composer, born Florence, Italy; died Paris, France. At the age of thirteen his first Mass, a Credo, and a Te Deum had been composed. Later he turned to operatic composition and in 1806 in his opera "Faniska" won enthusiastic applause. This secured him the directorship of court concerts to Napoleon I but, failing to please the emperor, he accepted the patronage of the Prince de Chi may and composed his Mass in F for the dedication of the village church of Chimay. His symphony for the London Philharmonic Society, 1815, increased his fame and under Louis XVIII he became director of the Paris Conservatoire. His Masses in F and A and two requiems are masterworks.