Mercadante, (Giuseppe) Saverio (Raffaele) (1795–1870)

Italian composer. He wrote about 60 operas, the most successful of which, Il giuramento (1837) and La Vestale (1840), have a strong dramatic purpose and seriousness of style that influenced Verdi.

He studied under Niccolò Zingarelli at the Collegio di San Sebastiano at Naples and, having learnt the flute and violin, became leader of the orchestra there. On being dismissed he began to earn his living as a stage composer, producing his first opera at the San Carlo theatre in 1819. After several successes in Italy he won favour in Vienna, visited Spain 1827–29, and in 1833 succeeded Pietro Generali as maestro di cappella at Novara Cathedral. In 1840 he became director of the Naples Conservatory. While at Novara he lost an eye and in 1862 became totally blind.

Works Opera about 60, including Violenza e costanza (1820), Elisa e Claudio (1821), Caritea, regina di Spagna (1826), Gabriella di Vergy (1828), I Normanni a Parigi, I briganti, Il giuramento (1837), I due illustri rivali (1838), Elena da Feltre, Il bravo (1839), La Vestale (1840), Leonora, Gli Orazi ed i Curiazi (1846), Virginia.

Vocal 20 Masses, motets, psalms, and other pieces; cantata L'apoteosi d'Ercole and others; songs.