Paolo Bonfichi (16/10/1769 - 29/12/1840), an Italian composer, born at Livraga, Lombardy, died at Lodi. Church composer, showed early great talent for music, and learned to play on tbe pianoforte and the organ without a teacher. At Parma, where he studied at the university, an old maestro of Martini's school taught him to accompany figured basses and to read scores. At the age of eighteen he entered the Order of Servites, and in 1789 went to Rome, where he studied counterpoint under Guglielmi, and the works of the classic German and Italian masters. On the suppression of his order in 1805 he retired to Milan, where in 1828 he was called to Rome as maestro di cappella at the Santa Casa di Loreto. Works—Oratorios: La morte d' Adamo ; La genesi ; La nuvoletta d' Elia ; E Paradise perduto ; II passagio del mar rosso ; Elia sul Carmelo; Ester, ossia La morte d' Amanno ; I tre Fauciulli nella Fornaee di Babilouia ; La morte di Baldassare ; La resurezione ; La discesa al limbo ; L' ascensioue di Maria ; II figliuol prodigo ; La decolazione di S. Giovanni Battista. Cantatas : H trionfo di Giuditta II trasporto dell' area ; II natale di Gesh Cristo ; La epifania ; La pentecoste ; I trattenimenti di S. Filipino Neri ; L' invenzione e Reposizione del Corpo di Sta Cecilia ; Cautico di Zacharia. Operas : La Climene, performed at Parma ; Abradata e Dircea, Turin, 1817 ; Lauretta (?), opera buffa ; Ten Masses ; Requiem ; Two Miserere ; Five Magnificat ; Te Deum ; Stabat Mater ; Many Tantum ergo ; Hymns ; Psalms ; Versets ; Many overtures and other instrumental pieces.