14/09/1760, Florence, Italy - 15/03/1842, Paris, France
Italian Classical and Romantic composer. His most significant compositions are operas and sacred music. Beethoven regarded Cherubini as the greatest of his contemporaries. His operas were heavily praised and interpreted by Rossini. Feeling constrained by Italian traditions and eager to experiment, Cherubini traveled to London in 1785 where he produced two operas for the King's Theatre and later moved to France. Disappointed with his lack of acclaim in the theater, Cherubini turned increasingly to church music, writing seven masses, two requiems, and many shorter pieces. In 1822, Cherubini became director of the Conservatoire in Paris and completed his textbook, Cours de contrepoint et de fugue, in 1835.
