The son of a
Bohemian-born musician, , Bochsa was born in
Montmédy,
Meuse, France. He was appointed harpist to the Imperial Orchestra of
Napoleon in 1813, and began writing operas for the
Opéra-Comique. However, in 1817 he became entangled in
counterfeiting,
fraud, and
forgery, and fled to London to avoid prosecution. He was convicted
in absentia, and sentenced to twelve years
hard labour and a fine of 4,000
francs. Safe from French law in London, he helped found the
Royal Academy of Music in 1821, and became its secretary. He taught there, among others, the British harp
virtuoso Elias Parish Alvars. When his criminal conviction was revealed in 1826, he was forced to resign. He then became musical director of the
Kings Theatre, London. In 1839, he became involved in another scandal when he ran off with the opera singer
Anna Bishop, wife of the composer
Henry Bishop. They performed together in North America and throughout Europe (except France). In Naples, Bochsa was appointed director of the opera house
Teatro di San Carlo and stayed there for two years. Bochsa arrived with Bishop in Sydney, Australia, at the time of the
Victorian gold rush in December 1855, but they gave only one concert together before Bochsa died. Bishop was heartbroken, and commissioned an elaborate tomb for him in
Camperdown Cemetery. ==Operas==