(1714–87), German composer; full name Christoph Willibald Ritter von Gluck. His first operas were in the traditional Italian style, but with Orfeo ed Euridice (1762), he initiated a new style in which he united dramatic, musical, and emotional elements, revolutionizing opera. Later works include Alceste(1767), Iphigénie en Aulide(1774), and Iphigénie en Tauride (1779).