Paisiello, Giovanni (9 May 1740, Taranto; 5 June 1816, Naples), composer, was educated by the Jesuits in his native city and destined by his family for a career as a lawyer. The quality of his voice and his rapid progress in the study of music persuaded his parents to enter him in the conservatory in Naples to expand his musical knowledge under Francesco Durante. He composed masses, motets, and psalms even as a student there, and his success induced the city of Bologna to invite him to work for…