Augusto Borgioli (1821 - 1879), an Italian conductor and composer, was born in Prato in 1821. He showed precocious talent for music and still very young he graduated from the Conservatory of Florence. His debut as conductor took place at Christmas 1845 with Ernani, the first opera by Giuseppe Verdi to be performed at the Metastasio. In those same years he took over from his first teacher, Camillo Bertini, in the position of chapel master of the Cathedral of Prato. After the success of his debut, Borgioli remained stable director of Metastasio for twenty years. He dedicated himself to the composition of symphonic-choral works including the "De Profundis" and the hymn "Deus tuorum militum", which was for a long time the symbol of Christmas in Prato. He died suddenly in 1879.