Salvatore Cammarano was one of the most important librettists of the early nineteenth century, writing for Donizetti, Mercadante, Pacini, and Verdi, just to name the most famous. He was no innovator and none of his libretti were original (all were based on existing works, usually plays, though occasionally novels or ballets), but what he wrote was crafted for the stage and naturally unfolded into the set forms of recitative, aria, and ensemble, and eminently singable if not eminently dramatically credible. He began his career as a painter and sculptor and then as a dramatist, specializing in bittersweet comedies. He was later appointed the combined position of poet and stage director for the various royal theaters of Naples, a task that drew on his experience in the visual arts as well as theater. However, his first libretto, Belisario, was rejected by Domenico Barbaia and it was not until 1835 that he produced a major work, Ines de Castro, originally set by Persiani and later by Marchetti, Gibelli, Pacini, and Drigo, among others. His next work was Lucia di Lammermoor for Donizetti, which started a string of collaborations that included Pia de' Tolomei, Roberto Devereux, and Maria di Rudenz. His first partnership with Mercadante in 1839 brought Elena da Feltre, and over the subsequent years, he wrote seven other libretti for Mercadante, including La vestale. His last major partnership was with Verdi, beginning with Alzira, to a libretto previously rejected by Pacini. During the last years of his life, he produced three more Verdi libretti, including Il trovatore, which he finished during his last illness.