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Italian-born composer renowned for operas and sacred music, pivotal in French musical life during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic eras.Born in Florence, Cherubini trained in Italy before settling in Paris (1788). Dominated French opera with works like Médée (1797) and Les Deux Journées (1800). Later focused on religious compositions while serving as director of the Paris Conservatoire (1822-1842). Influenced Beethoven and taught prominent 19th-century composers.

• Napoleon Bonaparte notoriously disliked Cherubini's complex style, leading to professional friction and temporary exile from Paris.
• After opera popularity waned post-1800, he suffered severe depression but revived his career through sacred compositions like his C-minor Requiem (1816).
• Beethoven revered Cherubini, calling him Europe's greatest dramatic composer and modeling Fidelio after his rescue operas.
• Died of natural causes at 81 in Paris; buried at Père Lachaise Cemetery where his tomb features a relief by Auguste Dumont.