Domenico Cimarosa , Aversa 17 Dec 1749 - Venice 11 Jan 1801 Italian composer. He trained in Naples as a violinist, keyboard player and composer, and wrote mainly sacred works at first. He had comic; operas staged there from 1772; his first serious opera was Cajo Mario (1780, Rome)

Cimarosa was the prolific creator of over 60 operas. He was the son of a poor bricklayer, coming from a working-class family. He studied music at the Conservatorio Santa Maria di Loreto from 1761 until 1772. Among his teachers was the famous Piccinni, the rival of Gluck in France. His first opera was Le stravaganza del conte.

Cimarosa's operatic style is similar to that of many of his Italian contemporaries. The speed at which he composed is reflected in his tendency to use conventional procedures. However, he wrote dramatic ensembles very well, both within acts and as finales, to carry forward the dramatic action. Although these ensembles do not show the breadth and depth of a Mozart, they are well above the standard of contemporary practice.