Very little is known about the life of the Portuguese composer Francisco António de Almeida (c. 1702–c. 1755). His birth date can only be guessed, and he is believed to have died in the Lisbon earthquake of 1755. He nonetheless occupied a central position in the Portuguese musical world of the first half of the eighteenth century, and many examples of his skill survive, including several motets, a monumental Te Deum, the oratorio La Giuditta (1726), and several secular works, including Il trionfo d’Amore (scherzo pastorale, 1729), L’Ippolito (serenata, 1752) and La Spinalba, ovvero Il vecchio matto (dramma comico, 1739).