He was born at Florence. He was a pupil of Carissimi, and after holding a post somewhere in Florence as maestro di cappella entered the papal chapel in 1660. In 1666 he became Vice-Kapellmeister at Vienna, and died at Venice in 1669.
Cesti is known principally as a composer of operas, the most celebrated of which were La Don (Venice, 1663) and Il Pomo d'oro (Vienna, 1668). He was also a composer of chamber cantatas, and his operas are notable for the pure and delicate style of their airs, more suited to the chamber than to the stage.
This entry was originally from the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.