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Giacomo Meyerbeer (September 5, 1791 - May 2, 1864) was a noted opera composer.
Meyerbeer was born to a Jewish family in Vogelsdorf, Germany with the name Yaakov Liebmann Beer. Meyer was the name of this mother's family.
In his youth he studied with Antonio Salieri. He was greatly influenced by the early work of Rossini. This Italian influence prompted his choice of his first name.
His operas were some of the most popular of the 19th century, but came to be less commonly performed in the 20th century.