Baldassare Galuppi

Baldassare Galuppi was an Italian composer and performer from the 1700s. He was the most popular and successful opera composer during his lifetime, and he played a major role in the evolution of the art form. Galuppi was born in 1706 in Burano, Italy, and his father was a barber who also worked as a violinist in small theater orchestras. Galuppi's first musical instruction likely came from his father, and around the age of 15 he composed his first opera, Gli amici ricali. The premiere performance was such a failure that the production staff closed the curtains to prevent the...