Giovanni Batista Agostino Francesco Giuseppe [Francesco] Azopardi (05/05/1748 - 06/02/1809), a Maltese composer (from Notabile, Mdina).

Azopardi was born in Rabat (Malta) on the 5th May 1748 and died there on 6th February 1809. He started his musical training in Malta under the guidance of Mikiel An Vella. There-after he studied in Naples, Italy. At young age fourteen years old he went to Naples.
Giovanni Batista Agostino Francesco Giuseppe named Francesco Azopardi was composer, theorist, organist, and teacher who lived in Malta -- except for the twelve years which he spent doing his education in Naples Royal Conservatory of Sant’ Onofrio (1763-1767-1774) -- during the second half of the eighteenth century. By 1768 Azopardi composed his first liturgical composition, the Mass in F (Ms 339). In Naples he was asked to become Maestro di Capella. But he liked to stay in his nativeland. On the 12th of April 1774 Azopardi was installed as organist of the Holy Church of Malta with right of further promotion to Maestro di Capella. The position of Maestro di Capella was at that moment retained by Don Benigno Zerafa (1726-1804). Azopardi spent his entire musical career in the service of the Cathedral in Mdina, and after 1789 he was also active at St. John's Co-Cathedral (Valletta). Francesco Azopardi was appointed Maestro di cappella at Mdina Cathedral, succeeding Benigno Zerafa, on the 8th December 1783.
He composed about 250 works most of them sacred music among them: 31 Masses, 76 Psalm settings, 6 Magnificat, 2 Passions, 6 Lamentations, 70 Motets, 16 Antiphons, Christmas organ pieces. He wrote two treatises about music theories Il Musico Prattico (I).& (II) published in 1786 and 1809.