Nicola Porpora

Baroque Italian Composer and Vocal Teacher

Nicola Porpora (1686–1768) was an Italian composer and singing teacher of the Baroque era, renowned for his operas and chamber music, as well as for being a master of vocal technique. Porpora's career was marked by his intense rivalry with the German composer George Frideric Handel, particularly in the operatic scene in London. He served as a maestro di cappella in various institutions and courts across Italy and composed a significant number of operas that were performed throughout Europe. Porpora's ability to write for the voice was highly esteemed, and he is perhaps best known today as the teacher of several important 18th-century singers, including the famous castrato Farinelli. His works display a mastery of melodic line and form, which made him one of the leading composers of his time.