Mayr, Johann Simon (1763-1845)

German-Italian composer. Educated at the Jesuit Seminary at Ingolstadt, he later studied with Lenzi in Bergamo and Bertoni in Venice where he settled, at first writing oratorios and church music. In 1794 with the success of his opera Saffo he turned to writing for the stage. From 1802 to his death he was maestro di cappella at Santa Maria Maggiore, and from 1805 taught at the newly founded Institute of Music in Venice, Donizetti being among his pupils. His opera L'amor coniugale is on the same subject and premiered in the same year as Beethoven's Fidelio.

Works over 60 operas, for example Lodoiska (1796), Che originali (1798), Adelaide di Guesclino (1799), Il carretto del venditore d'aceto (1800), Ginevra di Scozia (1801), I misteri eleusini (1802), Alonso e Cora, Elisa (1801), L'amor coniugale (1805), Adelasia e Aleramo, La rosa rossa e la rosa bianca, Medea in Corinto (1813); oratorios Jacob a Labano fugiens, Sisara, Tobiae matrimonium, Davide (1795), Il sacrifizio di Jefte and others; Passion; masses, motets and other church music.