Italian-born '''Antonio Salieri''' (1750-1825) was once considered one of [[Vienna]]'s leading composers of [[opera]] from the time he moved to the capital as a young man in the employ of the [[Hapsburg]] monarchy until his retirement in 1804. Despite their contemporary popularity, Salieri's compositions, among them the masterpiece ''Axur, re d'Ormus'' (whose popularity eclipsed that of ''[[The Marriage of Figaro]]'' until well into the 19th century), are almost entirely forgotten outside of academia, and practically never performed today. | Italian-born '''Antonio Salieri''' (1750-1825) was once considered one of [[Vienna]]'s leading composers of [[opera]] from the time he moved to the capital as a young man in the employ of the [[Hapsburg]] monarchy until his retirement in 1804. Despite their contemporary popularity, Salieri's compositions, among them the masterpiece ''Axur, re d'Ormus'' (whose popularity eclipsed that of ''[[The Marriage of Figaro]]'' until well into the 19th century), are almost entirely forgotten outside of academia, and practically never performed today. |