Composer. Born on February 29, 1792 in Pesaro, Italy; died on November 13, 1868 in Passy, France. He owed his education to his singing masters and to the Chevalier Giusti. Through the twenty operas he produced in a period of eight years he obtained the directorship of the Italian Opera at Paris and the Academie. A great innovator in orchestration, introducing new instruments and substituting Remtativo strumentato for Remtativo secco, the epoch of modern opera takes its departure from him. His first triumph, Il Tancredi in 1813; Il Barbiere di Siviglia, his chief work of Opera Buffa in 1816; Otello, a reform of Opera Seria in 1816; and Guillaume Tell in 1829, his masterpiece, represent his best work. A Stabat Mater in 1832, and a Messe Solennelle in 1864, reveal his religious feeling.