Antonio Salieri

Salieri had a great impact on the musical life of Vienna. He served there as a composer and conductor for fifty years, thirty six of which were as court Kapellmeister. Salieri was a pupil of Gassmann, whom he succeeded, a friend of Gluck who was his patron, and an acquaintance of Metastasio and the young Mozart. As a formidable teacher his students included Schubert, Liszt and Beethoven. He made his fame as a composer of operas which dominated Vienna for sometime and even reigned in Paris for a period of four years when he composed three essential works including "Tarare" his ...