Sigismund Thalberg, born January 8, 1812 in Pâquis near Geneva, was an Austrian composer and pianist. At age ten, he relocated to Vienna to study diplomacy but soon turned his focus to music, studying composition under Simon Sechter. He made his debut in Vienna at age 14 and gained international recognition in 1836 in Paris with his Piano Concerto in F minor, Opus 5. He toured extensively across Europe, North America, and South America, composing numerous virtuosic piano works, including Grande fantaisie et variations sur des motifs de la Norma, Opus 12, and the instructional compilation L'art du chant appliqué au piano, Opus 70, which included transcriptions of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's “Lacrymosa” and Giovanni Battista Pergolesi's “Tre giorni”. After marrying Francesca Lablache in 1844, he moved to Italy, where he established the Neapolitan piano school. He also composed the operas Florinda (1851) and Cristina di Svezia (1855). He retired to his estate in Posillipo near Naples in 1858, where he turned his attention to winemaking. He died on April 27, 1871 in Posillipo.
