(b Naples, 17 Aug 1686; d there, 3 March 1768). Italian composer and singing teacher. He was maestro di cappella to the Prince of Hessen-Darmstadt and the Portuguese ambassador in Naples. In 1708 he presented his first opera there; later he wrote operas for Rome, Vienna (1714, 1718) and elsewhere. He moved to Venice in 1726 as maestro of the Incurabili orphanage but spent 1733-6 in London composing for the Opera of the Nobility (which rivalled Handel's company). He then held conservatory posts in Naples (maestro di cappella at S Maria di Loreto, 1739-42) and Venice. In 1747-51 he taught singing at the Dresden court, where from 1748 he was also Kapellmeister. In 1752-3 he became a music teacher at the imperial court in Vienna; he taught the young Haydn, who became his valet and accompanist. He returned to Naples in 1760.

Reflecting his understanding of the art of singing, Porpora's music often features intricate, embellished vocal writing. His main works are his c 50 operas, of which the five for London are the most dramatic. Among his other works are serenatas, cantatas, oratorios and sacred operas and over 100 other sacred works. He also wrote didactic pieces (solfèges etc) and several instrumental works.

The Concise Grove Dictionary of Music. Copyright © 1994 by Oxford University Press, Inc.. All rights reserved.