Nicola Tacchinardi

Nicola Tacchinardi (3 September 1772 – 14 March 1859), was an Italian cellist and tenor, and later voice teacher.

He was born as Niccolò Costantino Fedele Tacchinardi in Livorno by Francesco Tacchinardi, owner and teacher of a fencing school, and by Vittoria Vaccari, daughter of an employee of the Grand Ducal Navy and sister of a ship captain, Gaetano.

He began his career as a cellist at the Teatro della Pergola in Florence, and later turned to singing, making his debut as a tenor in Livorno in 1804.

He sang at the Théâtre-Italien in Paris from 1811 until 1814, to considerable acclaim in operas by Niccolo Zingarelli, Ferdinando Paer, Giovanni Paisiello, Antonio Salieri, and Mozart.

Amongst his students was his daughter, soprano Fanny Tacchinardi Persiani, who went on to create the title role in Lucia di Lammermoor.