Nicolas Isouard (06/12/1775 - 23/03/1818), a French composer of Maltese birth. From 1794 he was an opera composer, having success in Florence, Livorno and Malta before establishing himself (1800) in Paris, where he collaborated with Rodolphe Kreutzer and formed the publishing concern Le Magasin de Musique (1802-11; with Cherubini, Méhul, Rode, Kreutzer and Boieldieu). From 1802 he produced numerous successful works, many with the librettist C. J. Etienne, becoming the most influential figure at the Opéra-Comique. Among his important operas are Cendrillon (1810; a fairy-tale opera), the expressive Jeannot et Colin (1814) and his masterpiece, Joconde (1814). His melodic gift went hand in hand with craftsmanship and a sure instinct for matching words and music.