Luigi Cherubini

Luigi Cherubini , 1760-1842, Italian composer, who lived in Paris after 1788. Before he was 16 he wrote masses and other sacred works; he later composed Italian opera. In Paris he assimilated French operatic tradition and wrote operas of broad dramatic scope with rich orchestration, such as Médée (1797) and Les Deux Journées (1800), which influenced Beethoven's vocal music. In 1816 he became professor of composition at the Paris Conservatory, and in 1822 he became its director. Renowned for his contrapuntal skill, in his later years he wrote mostly sacred music, including his masses in F Major (1809) and A Major (1825) and his Requiem in D Minor (1836).

Cherubini, Luigi ( Carlo Zanobi Salvadore Maria) (b Florence, 1760; d Paris, 1842). It. composer. Comp. quantity of church mus. by age of 16. From 1778 to 1781 worked in Bologna and Milan with Sarti, contributing arias to his operas. His own Il Quinto Fabio was staged in 1779. Further operas were prod. in Livorno, Rome, and Venice. Visited London in 1784 producing 2 operas there. Settled in Paris 1788 where his new, Gluck-inspired operatic style revolutionized Fr. stage. Under a cloud because of Napoleon's disfavour, went in 1805 to Vienna where he met Haydn and Beethoven. The latter was strongly influenced (esp. in Fidelio) by Cherubini's operas, 4 of which he heard in Vienna. Visited London 1815, writing sym. while there. Became prof. of comp. Paris Cons. 1816, dir. 1821–41. His masses are deservedly famous. Among his nearly 30 operas were: Quinto Fabio (1779, rev. 1783, Rome), Armida (Florence 1782), Adriano in Siria (Livorno 1782), Lo sposo di tre (Venice 1783), La finta principessa (London 1785), Giulio Sabino (London 1786), Ifigenia in Aulide (Turin 1788), Démophoön (Paris 1788), Lodoïska (Paris 1791), Médée (Paris 1797), Les Deux Journées (Ger. Der Wasserträger, Eng. The Water Carrier) (Paris 1800), Anacréon (1803), Faniska (Vienna 1806), Les Abencérages (Paris 1813), Bayard à Mezières (1814), Ali Baba (1833). His Requiem No.2, in D minor, still frequently performed, was written in 1836 and f.p. at the Paris Cons. in 1838. His Requiem in C minor was comp. in 1816 and f.p. in St Denis 1817. He also wrote 6 str. qts.