Maltese Composers

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Nicolo Isouard

Nicolo Isouard or Nicolo de Malte was born in Haz-Zebbug, Malta on the 30th May,1775. His proper family name was Xuereb. Little is known of his early childhood. His father being a prosperous man, could afford to send him to Paris in 1790 to study. There he felt that he should take music seriously and took piano lessons with Mro. Pin. During his stay in Paris the revolution broke out and had to come back to Malta. In Malta he started taking music lessons with Mro. Archangelo Vella and Mro. Francesco Azzopardi against his father's wishes. His father sent him to Italy to earn the banking trade. He received tuition from Mro. Amendola and Mro. Guiglielmi in Palermo. In Naples he studied with Mro. Nicola Sala.

Isouard's first opera L' avviso ai Maritati was premiered in Florence in 1794. It met a cool reception. His second opera Artasersere was performed in Livorno later that year. It was a great success. In 1796 Grand Master De Rohan appointed him first organist and latter Maestro di Cappella in St. John's Cathedral. During the French occupation in Malta Isouard was commissioner of the Manoel Theatre. In 1800 he left for Paris and married Claudine Berthault. Here he befriended the violinist Rudolphe Kreutzer. In 1810 he composed his best opera Cendrillon, the second opera based on the story of Cinderella. Not all of his 40 operas were popular but some of them were performed for a long time at the Opera Comique in Paris. Nicolo died in Paris on the 23rd March 1818 and was buried at the Per Lachaise Cemetry.
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