Giuseppe was composed by Mayr in 1829 for graduation concerts at the academy of music in Bergamo over which he presided. His inspiration was a Biblical opera that had won great popularity, Méhul's Joseph, which had premiered in Paris in 1807, featuring prayers, hymns, and unassuming arias. Mayr, however, drew on a much wider musical canvas to include grand arias, duets, a cavatina, and a final chorus. He also repeatedly references popular melodies by his contemporaries Donizetti, Rossini, and Bellini, as befits a pasticcio oratorio.