Giuseppe Saverio Raffaele Mercadante (16 September 1795 - 17 December 1870) was an Italian composer, particularly of operas. Born in Altamura, near Bari (Apulia), Mercadante studied music in Naples and at first showed an interest in instrumental composition. The encouragement of Rossini led him to compose for the opera, where he won considerable success with his seventh such work (Elisa e Claudio), in 1821.

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