Salvatore Agnelli, born in Palermo in 1817, moved to Naples in 1830 to pursue formal musical training. At the Naples Conservatory he studied under Giovanni Furno, one of the most esteemed composition teachers of the Neapolitan school. Under Furno’s guidance, Agnelli received part of the education that shaped his development as an Italian composer.
Giovanni Furno, a renowned music theorist, composer, and long‑time professor of composition in Naples, counted Agnelli among his many distinguished pupils before Furno’s death in 1837. Furno’s reputation as the best teacher in Naples and his widely used partimento method formed an important pedagogical foundation for Agnelli during his formative years at the conservatory.