Serrao Paolo

Paolo Serrao (Filadelfia-South Italy 1830 – Naples 1907) was an enfant prodige as a pianist, performing a concerto for piano and orchestra at the age of 8. He later studied piano and composition at the Conservatory of Naples, here becoming master of composition and its director (1878-1887). Many important Neapolitan musicians studied composition with him, among many others Umberto Giordano, Francesco Cilea, Giuseppe Martucci, Ruggero Leoncavallo, Alessandro Longo, Camillo De Nardis, Attilio Brugnoli and Michele Esposito. He was in a friendly relationship with the most important musicians of his time like Saverio Mercadante, Gioacchino Rossini and Giuseppe Verdi.