Giacomo Meyerbeer

A member of a German-Jewish wealthy merchant family in Berlin, Meyerbeer waa a noted composer of opera who brought great innovations to the stage and also affected the concept of `grand' in Grand Opera. He studied composition wih Zelter, Weber and Vogler and participated in a study tour of Italy where he became known foremost as a pianist. While in Italy, however, he had the opportunity to meet with a number of librettists and singers. During this tour he wrote six operas including "Il crociato in Egitto" which gained him repute comparble to Rossini. For the rest of his life, ...