Nicolas Isouard

Isouard was born in Malta and assumed the name of Nicolo de Malte to protect his mercantile family from losing business (his father was opposed to his study of music). Isouard studied with Pin, Michel-Ange Vella, Azzopardi and Amendola and he received some very practical advice from Guglielmi as well. His first opera premiered in 1794, "L'avviso ai maritati," which was highly lauded. The success of his works brought collaboartions with the famous librettists Metastasio, Hoffman, and Etienne. He also worked in collaborative efforts with Mehul, Cherubini, Rode, and Kreutzer. Isouard's chief competitor was Boieldieu. Operas that should be noted in reference to Isouard's competence and productivity include "Artaserse," "L'impromptu de campagne," "Le tonnelier," "Aladin," "Joconde," "Jeannot et Colin," and "Cendrillon." The latter work brought out the popularity of fairy-tale operas, "Jeannot et Colin," was his best structured opera, and "Joconde" was Isouard's magnum opus. The main contribution that Isouard made to music, historically, was a refinement and structuring of the final form of French comic opera. ~ Keith Johnson