Francesco Paolo Tosti was an Italian composer, born in Ortona, Abruzzo in 1846, who worked in Naples, Ancona, and Rome before settling in London in 1875, where he served as singing-master to the British royal family from 1880 and became a naturalized British citizen in 1906, receiving a knighthood in 1908; he returned to Italy in 1913 and died in Rome in 1916. He specialized in song composition, producing natural, singable melodies noted for their sweet sentimentality, and also published editions of Italian folk songs and salon music.

By the mid-1880s Tosti had become the most popular composer of songs in England, and his melodies were championed by leading singers of the era, including Enrico Caruso and Nellie Melba. His songs remain staples of vocal training and recital programs today, and he is remembered as one of the leading art-song composers of the Belle Époque.

Sources:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francesco_Paolo_Tosti