Born: 25 March 1699, Bergedorf
Died: 16 December 1783, Venice
Johann Adolph HasseIl Sassone (1699 – 1783) was for a number of decades the most prolific and popular composers of opera seria in Italy and German-speaking countries. He was ‘…a German with the musical passions of an Italian…’ A close association with Metastasio and a series of important positions in the musical world meant that his works were presented in an appropriate manner in some of the major theatres of the time from London through Italy and Germany to Vienna.
Immensely popular in his time, Hasse was best known for his prolific operatic output, and was a pivotal figure in the development of opera seria and 18th-century music in general.