Giuseppe Saverio Raffaele Mercadante, Altamura (born near Bari, September 16, 1795 - died in Naples, December 17, 1870), was an Italian composer, particularly of operas. Location within Italy Bari is the second largest continental city of Southern Italy, with a population of 326,201 (2001) along 116 sq. ... September 16 is the 259th day of the year (260th in leap years). ... 1795 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Location within Italy Naples (Italian Napoli, Neapolitan Napule, from Greek Νέα Πόλις - Néa Pólis - meaning New City) is the largest city in southern Italy and capital of Campania Region. ... December 17 is the 351st day of the year (352nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1870 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... The foyer of Charles Garniers Opéra, Paris, opened 1875 Opera is an art form consisting of a dramatic stage performance set to music. ...

Operas

The Italian opera composer Saverio Mercadante studied music in Naples and at first showed an interest in instrumental composition. The encouragement of Rossini led him to compose for the opera, where he won considerable success with his seventh such work, in 1821. He worked for a time in Vienna, in Madrid and in Lisbon, but re-established himself in Italy in 1831. In the early 1840s he seemed the most important composer of Italian opera, now influenced by Meyerbeer in Paris and introducing new elements of drama into the form. In later life he seems to have been jealous of the success of Verdi, who came to dominate Italian opera in the second half of the century.

• L'apoteosi d'Ercole (19.8.1819 Teatro S. Carlo, Naples)
• Violenza e costanza, ossia I falsi monetari (19.1.1820 Teatro Nuovo, Naples) [also as: Il castello dei spiriti (1825, Lisbon)]
• Anacreonte in Samo (1.8.1820 Teatro S. Carlo, Naples)
• Il geloso ravveduto (10.1820 Teatro Valle, Rome)
• Scipione in Cartagine (26.12.1820 Teatro Argentina, Rome)
• Maria Stuarda regina di Scozia (29.5.1821 Teatro Comunale, Bologna)
• Elisa e Claudio, ossia L'amore protetto dall'amicizia (30.10.1821 Teatro alla Scala, Milan)
• Andronico ( 26.12.1821 Teatro La Fenice, Venice)
• Il posto abbandonato, ossia Adele ed Emerico (21.9.1822 Teatro alla Scala, Milan)
• Amleto (26.12.1822 Teatro alla Scala, Milan)
• Alfonso ed Elisa (26.12.1822 Teatro Nuovo, Mantua) [rev. as: Aminta ed Argira (1823, Reggio Emilia)]
• Didone abbandonata (18.1.1823 Teatro Regio, Turin)
• Gli sciti (18.3.1823 Teatro S. Carlo, Naples)
• Costanzo ed Almeriska (22.11.1823 Teatro S. Carlo, Naples)
• Gli amici di Siracusa (7.2.1824 Teatro Argentina, Rome)
• Doralice (18.9.1824 Karntnertortheater, Wien)
• Le nozze di Telemaco ed Antiope (5.11.1824 Karntnertortheater, Wien) [pasticcio]
• Il podesta di Burgos, ossia Il signore del villaggio (20.11.1824 Karntnertortheater, Wien)
• Nitocri (26.12.1824 Teatro Regio, Turin)
• Ipermestra (29.12.1825 Teatro S. Carlo, Naples)
• Erode, ossia Marianna (12.12.1825 Teatro La Fenice, Venice)
• Caritea, regina di Spagna (Donna Caritea), ossia La morte di Don Alfonso re di Portogallo (21.2.1826 Teatro La Fenice, Venice)
• Ezio (3.2.1827 Teatro Regio, Turin)
• Il montanaro (16.4.1827, Teatro alla Scala, Milan)
• La testa di bronzo, ossia La capanna solitaria (3.12.1827, priv. theatre of Barone di Quintella at Laranjeiras, Lisbon) [libretto written 1816 for Soliva]
• Adriano in Siria (24.2.1828 Theatre S. Carlos, Lisbon)
• Gabriella di Vergy (8.8.1828 Theatre S. Carlos, Lisbon) [rev: 1832, Genoa]
• La rappresaglia (21.2.1829 Teatro Principal, Cadiz)
• Don Chisciotte alle nozze di Gamaccio (10.2.1830 Teatro Principal, Cadiz)
• Francesca da Rimini (1831, probably unperformed)
• Zaïra (31.8.1831 Teatro S. Carlo, Naples) [libretto written 1829 for Bellini]
• I normanni a Parigi (7.2.1832 Teatro Regio, Turin)
• Ismalia, ossia Amore e morte (27.10.1832, Teatro alla Scala, Milan)
• Il conte di Essex (10.3.1833, Teatro alla Scala, Milan)
• Emma d'Antiochia (8.3.1834 Teatro La Fenice, Venice)
• Uggero il danese (11.8.1834 Teatro Riccardi, Bergamo)
• La gioventù di Enrico V (25.11.1834, Teatro alla Scala, Milan)
• I due Figaro (26.1.1835 Teatro Principe, Madrid) [composed 1827-29]
• Francesca Donato, ossia Corinto distrutta (14.2.1835 Teatro Regio, Turin) [rev.1845, Teatro S. Carlo, Naples]
• I briganti (22.3.1836 Théâtre Italien, Paris) [rev. with additions 1853]
• Il giuramento (11.3.1837, Teatro alla Scala, Milan)
• Le due illustri rivali (10.3.1838 Teatro La Fenice, Venice)
• Elena da Feltre (1.1.1839 Teatro S. Carlo, Naples)
• Il bravo (La veneziana) (9.3.1839 Teatro alla Scala, Milan)
• La vestale (10.3.1840 Teatro S. Carlo, Naples)
• La solitaria delle Asturie, ossia La Spagna ricuperata (12.3.1840 Teatro La Fenice, Venice)
• Il proscritto (4.1.1842 Teatro S. Carlo, Naples)
• Il reggente (2.2.1843 Teatro Regio, Turin) [rev. with adds. 11.11.1843, Trieste]
• Leonora (5.12.1844 Teatro Nuovo, Naples)
• Il Vascello de Gama (6.3.1845 Teatro S. Carlo, Naples)
• Orazi e Curiazi (10.11.1846 Teatro S. Carlo, Naples)
• La schiava saracena, ovvero Il campo di Gerosolima (26.12.1848 Teatro alla Scala, Milan) [rev. 1850 Teatro S. Carlo, Naples]
• Medea (I.3.1851 Teatro S. Carlo, Naples)
• Statira (8.1.1853 Teatro S. Carlo, Naples)
• Violetta (10.1.1853 Teatro Nuovo, Naples)
• Pelagio (12.2.1857 Teatro S. Carlo, Naples)
• Virginia (7.4.1866 Teatro S. Carlo, Naples) [composed 1845-55]
• L'orfano di Brono, ossia Caterina dei Medici [only 1st act]