[5][6] His father Giulio Paer was a trumpeter with the Ducal Bodyguards and also performed at church and court events; his mother was Francesca Cutica.

He studied music theory under the violinist Gasparo Ghiretti, a pupil of the Conservatorio della Pietà de' Turchini in Naples.

[9] He composed a bridal march for Napoleon's wedding to Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma (a religious ceremony that took place on 2 April 1810).

It had a deep influence on the following generations of composers and aroused the admiration of many celebrated musicians and musical critics such as Stendhal, Berlioz, Castil-Blaze and Chopin.

He retained this post after the Restoration while accepting those of chamber composer to the king and conductor of the private orchestra of the Duke of Orléans.

During the 1820s, Paër's success both as a composer and teacher were being frustrated with the presence of Giacomo Rossini and influence of writer Marie-Henri Beyle.

In 1827, he was fired from his position but later issued an open letter, "M. Paër, ex-directeur du Théâtre de l'Opéra Italien, à MM.

In 1831, Paër was quickly employed in the Académie des Beaux-Arts and became a strong contributor to the opera culture at the Opéra-Comique alongside colleagues like Daniel Auber and Felice Blangini.