Nicola Conforto

An Italian operatic composer who was most active in Madrid. Conforto was a student of Fischietti and Mancini and held stations in Naples, Rome and Madrid. He acceded to the Spanish court by successfully composing music in celebration of Maria Teresia's birthday and Ferdinand VI's name day. The major body of Conforto's works were operas that played on the Iberian peninsula as well as London; texts were often bilingual (Italian and Spanish) as the parts were sung in Italian by Italians for Spanish audiences. ~ Keith Johnson