Giovan B. Pergolesi

Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710-1736) was an Italian composer of the Baroque era. He is best known for his contributions to opera and sacred music. One of his most famous works is the comic intermezzo opera "La serva padrona" (The Servant Mistress), which had a significant impact on the development of opera buffa (comic opera). This opera's success was instrumental in the "Querelle des Bouffons," a famous 18th-century debate in France about the relative merits of Italian and French opera styles. Pergolesi also composed other operas, sacred music, and chamber music during his short life. He is regarded as a composer who bridged the gap between the Baroque and Classical periods, with his works often characterized by lyricism and a more emotional and expressive style. Pergolesi's influence on later composers, including Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, is evident in the development of operatic and classical music styles. Some of his other notable works include the Stabat Mater and the opera seria "Adriano in Siria." Despite his early death at the age of 26 due to tuberculosis, Pergolesi's music continues to be celebrated and performed today.