In his time, Johann Adolph Hasse was at the forefront of Italian opera. Although he composed a good number of sacred works, he is best known for his opera production. It was very popular throughout Italy and Germany and was commissioned by courts and opera houses throughout Europe. His performances brought together cultural figures of the era, as well as some of the biggest names in Common Era music today. Later in his life, styles changed and thus Hasse's popularity waned after his death. But generations later, he was reestablished as a leading figure and icon of early classical Italian opera, a designation he still holds today. Biography and musical production Johann Adolph Hasse was born on March 25, 1699 in Bergedorf, Germany. His family consisted of German church musicians, and Hasse received his early musical education from his father. His great-grandfather, Peter Hasse, had once served as organist at the Marienkirche in Lübeck and had achieved some notoriety as a composer. Johann's grandfather, father and brother each held the post of organist in Bergedorf. Due to family ties, his father was a trustee of a local charity for the poor of Bergedorf and it was this same charity that allowed the fifteen-year-old Hasse to travel to Hamburg to study singing between 1714 and 1717. Tenor gifted, he chose a theatrical career and, in 1718, took opera lessons from Richard Keizer at the Hamburg Opera. Hasse's success led him to a performance at the court of Brunswick, and it was there that he made his debut as a composer with the opera Antioco. in 1723. The success of this first work earned him the favor of the duke who eventually sent Hasse to Italy to complete his studies, and in ...... middle of paper ......tion thanks to vocal selection and harmonic function. Hasse regained his famous status as we remember him in modern times for his influence and the formation of the classical lyric form. Works Cited Drummond, Pippa; “The Concertos of Johann Adolf Hasse.” Proceedings of the Royal Musical Association, Vol. 99, Iss. 1, 1972.Anderson, Rick. "Johann Adolf Hasse. (Sound recording reviews)." Notes 58.4 (2002): 902. Academic OneFile. Internet. March 14, 2014. Charlton, David. “Johann Adolf Hasse” 2000. Classic Network. 2000. Internet. March 14, 2014. "Johann Adolph Hasse". Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2014. Web. March 14, 2014 “Johanne Adolphe Hasse”. NNDB. NNDB Online. Soylent Communications, 2014. Web. March 14, 2014.Janice B. Stockigt, Jan Dismas Zelenka, 1679 – 1745: a bohemian musician at the court of Dresden (Oxford, 2000)