Francesco Morlacchi

Francesco Giuseppe Baldassare Morlacchi[1] (14 June 1784 – 28 October 1841) was an Italian composer of more than twenty operas.

He composed from a very young age, first studying with his uncle Giovanni Mazzetti and later with Luigi Caruso in Perugia.

Finally, he ended up in Bologna at the school of Stanislao Mattei (1805) where he met Gioacchino Rossini.

By this time, German opera was well established, and Morlacchi and his compositions were seen to represent the old order both of composers and the aristocracy.

Although sometimes credited with it, Francesco Morlacchi did not compose "The Swiss Shepherd", ( "Il pastore svizzero" in Italian ).