Profession: composer

Rimsky-Korsakov taught him and was an important influence. Diaghilev commissioned him 8 times over 20 years and helped make his reputation. Nijinsky and Balanchine choreographed his music; Picasso (a friend), Auden, Eliot and Cocteau were other collaborators. Boulanger was a close friend and strong supporter. He was photographed with Debussy, counted Ravel, Satie and Poulenc (for life) among his friends, and sent postcards to Casella (who wrote the first biography). He wrote pieces in memory of Eliot and Huxley, and proposed a post-atomic opera to Thomas just before the poet died from drink.

Sarti met Mozart in Vienna, en route for St. Petersburg. Mozart tipped his hat to Sarti by including a tune of his in ‘Don Giovanni’, and basing much of ‘The Marriage of Figaro’ on the Sarti opera the tune came from (da Ponte, who wrote Mozart’s libretto, may even have done the same for Sarti’s opera). Martini taught Sarti, and Cherubini was one of his pupils.

Durante taught Paisiello, and da Ponte provided him with a libretto. He met Mozart in Vienna; Michael Kelly recounted how he dined with both at Mozart’s house, ‘and often afterwards enjoyed their company together.’ Vigée le Brun painted his portrait.

Pergolesi studied under Greco, Vinci and Durante. Metastasio and he were both attached to the opera-house in Naples, Pergolesi setting two of Metastasio’s texts to music.

Meyerbeer studied under Clementi and Salieri, and was a fellow-student of Weber under Vogler. Heine was his cousin (whom Meyerbeer helped support), and the Beers his brothers. He was a generous supporter of Berlioz, despite Berlioz’s published critiques of his music. He met Humboldt frequently, in Paris and Berlin, corresponded with Gautier, and his extemporised piano-duets with Moscheles were renowned. Though Meyerbeer supported him early in his career, Wagner turned against him with anti-semitic spite.

Milhaud and Auric were fellow-students, and with Honegger, Durey and Poulenc, members of ‘les Six’. Satie called her his “musical daughter”, Cocteau more patronisingly “a Marie Laurencin for the ear.” Ravel was a close friend for over a decade, but the friendship suddenly and mysteriously ended. Koechlin (as well as Ravel) taught her. She set words of Valéry’s to music: Claudel and Soupault also collaborated. Diaghilev commissioned her. Picasso, Modigliani, Léger and Apollinaire were all friends; Chaplin, her husband’s best friend, often stayed with her, and tried to persuade her to work in Hollywood.