One of the most important figures in Italian Opera, with 65 completed operas. The speed with which he was working was legendary. Some of his most famous works are "Anna Bolena", "L'elisir d'amore", and "Don Pasquale".
Born into a poor family, he enrolled for free in a music school due to his talent and then studied in Bologna.
His expressive style planted the seeds for Verdi's accomplishments and generally the flourish of the Italian opera in the second half of the 19th century. He was very involved in the literary part of his operas as well as the selection of the actors and played an important role in the development of the romantic music melodrama.
He died from syphilis, an illness to which many people were succumbing at that period. During his life, and for many years after his death, his works were very popular, but by the beginning of the twentieth century they had been almost completely overshadowed by the heavier masterpieces of other composers, such as Wagner, Puccini, and Verdi. Following 1950, his operas regained their initial acclaim and they are now being played quite frequently.
