Opera Composer Gioachino Rossini

Gioachino Rossini may well be the best known of all Italian opera composers. Music from Rossini's opera is very familiar to the general public. Almost anyone can hum the overture from "William Tell" even if they don't know the name of the piece, and "The Barber of Seville" stands as one of the greatest comedic operas of all time.

Gioachino Antonio Rossini was born Feb. 29, 1792, in Pesaro, a town on Italy's Adriatic coast. Rossini was born into a musical family: His mother Anna sang, and his father, a slaughterhouse inspector named Guiseppe, played the horn. When he was six, Rossini was playing the triangle in his father's band.

Rossini's early life was turbulent. His father, an outspoken supporter of the French Revolution, welcomed the French army when Napoleon invaded northern Italy. In 1796, when the French left, Guiseppe Rossini was promptly imprisoned.

Anna relocated to Bologna with young Gioachino, where she supported them by singing opera in local playhouses. Eventually they were joined by Rossini's father, who played horn in the opera orchestras.

While apprenticed to a smith named Angelo Tesei, Rossini learned to sight-read music and play the pianoforte. In 1806, the 14-year-old Rossini entered the Conservatorio of Bolonga, where he studied the cello and counterpoint. Students and teachers at the Conservatorio called Rossini "the little German" because of his devotion to Mozart.

In 1808, Rossini won the Conservatorio prize for his cantata "Il pianto d'Armonica sulla morte d'Orfeo."

Between 1810 and 1813 Rossini produced a number of operas, the most recognizable of which is probably "The Italian Girl in Algiers," which opened in Venice in 1813. "The Italian Girl in Algiers,"which deals with love and intrigue in an Algerian harem, is unusual in that Rossini combines elements of both serious and comic operas in the piece.

Popular though "The Italian Girl in Algiers" is today, in 1813 it was overshadowed by another of Rossini's operas. "Tancredi"was a huge success for Rossini, so much so that when Rossini returned to Bologna in 1815 he was offered the musical direction of the Teatro San Carlo and Teatro Del Fondo for the extravagant salary of 200 ducats a month.

In 1815 Rossini gave a court performance of "Elizabeth, Queen of England" that was an enormous success. The same year he married the lead lady of the opera,the soprano Isabella Colbran. The marriage, however, was not to be a happy one.

Of all Rossini's operas, "The Barber of Seville" is probably the best known. In fact, an entire generation was introduced to Rossini's opera through Bugs Bunny in the 1950 short "The Rabbit of Seville".

The original title for "The Barber of Seville"was "Almaviva," and the opera was somewhat controversial. Rossini used the libretto first used in Giovanni Pasiello's "Barber of Seville,"which had enjoyed a popular run of 25 years.

Pasiello's fans were not amused with Rossini's work and attempted to sabotage "Almaviva."Pasiello fans whistled, booed and shouted through the first act of "Almaviva"on opening night.

Obviously, attempts to ruin Rossini's opera didn't work. "Almaviva" became so popular that it entirely eclipsed Pasiello's work and was soon being popularly referred to as "The Barber of Seville."

Rossini spent five months in England in 1823, then relocated to Paris, where he was awarded the positions of Offices of Chief Composer to the King and Inspector General of Singing in France. Paris was to see the last of Rossini's Operas: The epic "William Tell."

Originally four hours long, "William Tell" is rarely performed in its entirety today. As with "The Barber of Seville," popular culture has made the overture of "William Tell" one of the most recognizable pieces of music in the world. Most people today know "The William Tell Overture" as the theme for "The Lone Ranger" television series.

Rossini, with the success of "William Tell," brought his opera composer career to an end. Indeed, after 1829 he essentially retired, and his house became a center for the Parisian arts community.

Isabella Rossini died in 1845. Rossini was to remarry in 1846, taking as his bride his mistress, Olympe Pélisser. A legend among Italian opera composers, Rossini died in his home in Passey, France, on Nov.13 1868.

Rossini composed 39 operas between 1810 and 1829, a remarkable number in less then two decades. However, Rossini didn't confine himself to the world of opera composers. He also wrote chamber music and religious music in addition to his operatic works. Below is a small selection of Rossini's operas:
1810: "La Cambiale di Matrimonio" (revised 1818)

Resources

Center for Italian Opera Studies at the University of Chicago. (n.d.). Rossini Operas. Retrieved January 20, 2008, from the University of Chicago Web site:
humanities.uchicago.edu/orgs/ciao/Introductory/Roperas.html.

Naxos. (n.d.). Rossini, Gioachino Biography. Retrieved January 20, 2008, from the Naxos Web site:
www.naxos.com/composerinfo/bio26313.htm.

Answers.com. (n.d.). Gioachino Rossini. Retrieved January 20, 2008, from the Answers.com Web site:
www.answers.com/topic/gioacchino-rossini.