Gioachino Rossini, in full Gioachino Antonio Rossini, (born February 29, 1792, Pesaro, Papal States [Italy]—died November 13, 1868, Passy, near Paris, France), Italian composer noted for his operas, particularly his comic operas, of which The Barber of Seville (1816), Cinderella (1817), and Semiramide (1823) are among the best known.
Full Answer
What are two of the operas that Rossini wrote?
In 1812 Rossini wrote the oratorio Ciro in Babilonia ( Cyrus in Babylon) and La scala di seta ( The Silken Ladder ), another comic opera. The same year, Marietta Marcolini, who had already sung in Rossini’s operas and who was interested in the young composer, recommended Rossini to the committee of La Scala opera house in Milan.
What operas did Rossini write?
What type of operas did Rossini write? Rossini did compose opera seria, or serious opera. This was the dramatic, often tragic opera of 18th century Italy. Although Rossini is not known for his opera seria today, these works were well-respected and performed in his lifetime. Tancredi, Otello, and Guillaume Tell are among his best opera seria. How long did Rossini write the opera? 12 days
How many operas did Rossini do?
He composed over 39 operas, including William Tell and The Barber of Seville. The family eventually settled in Bologna. Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868) was a prolific composer, especially of operas. ISBN 978-0-931340-71-0.
What opera is Gioacchino Rossini known for writing?
Gioacchino RossiniThe operas of the Italian composer Gioacchino Rossini (1792-1868), particularly those in the comic genre, were among the most popular works of the entire 19th century. His best-known work is " The Barber of Seville." Source for information on Gioacchino Rossini: Encyclopedia of World Biography dictionary.
Which was composed by Rossini?
Gioachino Rossini, in full Gioachino Antonio Rossini, (born February 29, 1792, Pesaro, Papal States [Italy]—died November 13, 1868, Passy, near Paris, France), Italian composer noted for his operas, particularly his comic operas, of which The Barber of Seville (1816), Cinderella (1817), and Semiramide (1823) are among ...
Why did Rossini stop writing operas?
Rossini said he'd been exhausted in the late 1820s, and when he returned to Italy to rest, he found the quality of singing and audiences had declined.
When did Rossini stop writing operas?
37In 1829, at the age of 37, Rossini decided to retire. He had lots of money but his health was not particularly good. Although he wrote a few small pieces of music he never composed another opera. He went back to Bologna, although he returned to Paris nearly 20 years later with his wife.
What was the most curious fact about Rossini?
Even thought he lived to the age of 76, Rossini celebrated his 19th birthday in the months before his death. He was born in a leap year on 29 February 1792. His operas are amongst the most performed in the world. Only Verdi, Mozart and Puccini have more of their operas performed each year.
Who wrote the first opera?
Jacopo Peri'sThe first opera Jacopo Peri's Euridice of 1600 is generally regarded as the earliest surviving opera. Opera's first composer of genius however, was Claudio Monteverdi, who was born in Cremona in 1567 and wrote Orfeo in 1607 for an exclusive audience at the Duke of Mantua's court.
How do you pronounce Gioachino?
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Who wrote the first opera Wikipedia?
Jacopo PeriJacopo Peri (1561–1633). Florentine who composed both the first opera ever, Dafne (1598), and the first surviving opera, Euridice (1600).
What language is bel canto?
bel canto, (Italian: “beautiful singing”) style of operatic singing that originated in Italian singing of polyphonic (multipart) music and Italian courtly solo singing during the late 16th century and that was developed in Italian opera in the 17th, 18th, and early 19th centuries.
Is Barber of Seville Classical or Romantic?
The Barber of Seville aligns more with the characteristics of classical elegance and balance, while his last opera, William Tell typifies the more deeply emotional Romantic style.
Did Verdi know Rossini?
The two men met in Bologna in June 1842, and Verdi quickly admired his older colleague. Verdi was able to discuss with Rossini his many operas and it seems that he particularly came to learn a lot about L'Italiana in Algeri, Il Barbiere di Siviglia and what was known in Italian as Guglielmo Tell.
What is code Rossini?
Opera Term of the Week: "Code Rossini." This term is used to describe the dramatic content and structure of italian opera in the first haf of the 19th century.
Why did his classmates nickname him little German?
In his youth, his classmates nicknamed him “Il Tedeschino” (“The Little German”) because of his devotion to Mozart (who of course was Austrian, but why quibble?). Later, Rossini would proclaim: “I take Beethoven twice a week, Haydn four times, but Mozart every day … Mozart is always adorable.”
What language is bel canto?
bel canto, (Italian: “beautiful singing”) style of operatic singing that originated in Italian singing of polyphonic (multipart) music and Italian courtly solo singing during the late 16th century and that was developed in Italian opera in the 17th, 18th, and early 19th centuries.
How many overtures Rossini wrote?
Well, here they are, all 28 of them. What's that you say?
What is the name of the opera that Gioachino Rossini wrote?
Le siège de Corinthe. Le siège de Corinthe is an opera in three acts by Gioachino Rossini set to a French libretto by Luigi Balocchi and Alexandre Soumet, which was based on the reworking of some of the music from the... more.
What is the name of the opera that was written in 1826?
Ivanhoé. Ivanhoé is an 1826 pastiche opera in three acts with music by Gioachino Rossini to a French-language libretto by Émile Deschamps and Gabriel-Gustave de Wailly, after Walter Scott's novel of the same... more.
What is the opera L'equivoco Stravagante?
L'equivoco stravagante is an operatic dramma giocoso in two acts by Gioachino Rossini to an Italian libretto by Gaetano Gasbarri. It was Rossini's first attempt at writing a full two-act opera.... more.
What is the opera Demetrio e Polibio?
Demetrio e Polibio is a two-act operatic dramma serio by Gioachino Rossini to a libretto by Vincenzina Viganò-Mombelli. The opera was orchestrated for strings only. Demetrio e Polibio was Rossini's... more
What is the opera Adina?
Adina. Adina is an operatic farsa in one act by Gioachino Rossini with a libretto by Marchese Gherardo Bevilacqua-Aldobrandini. The opera develops the popular theme of the "abduction from the seraglio". The... more.
What is the opera Ricciardo e Zoraide based on?
The text is based on cantos XIV and XV of Il Ricciardetto, an epic poem by Niccolò... more.
Where was La Scala di Seta first performed?
La scala di seta is an operatic farsa comica in one act by Gioachino Rossini to a libretto by Giuseppe Maria Foppa. It was first performed in Venice, Italy at the Teatro San Moisè on 9 May 1812. The... more
What was Rossini's first opera?
Tancredi was Rossini’s first opera seria, and was innovative in its formal design. He organized the opera in larger units, with dramatic action unfolding even within fixed musical numbers. One of the most popular pieces in Tancredi and all of Rossini’s operas was the aria "Di tanti palpiti" for the title character.
What is the best opera of Rossini?
Though one author considers Maometto II to be “the best of Rossini's Neapolitan operas,” it has not been performed often in the 21st century. Set during wars between the Venetians and Turks, Rossini toned down some of the political elements of the drama so as not to make too many direct connections between the political situation in Naples, which was ruled by Ferdinand I of Spain. One of the most remarkable features of the opera is the giant trio in Act I, "Ohimè! qual fulmine.” A performance of the piece lasts anywhere from 25 to 30 minutes. It’s so long that Rossini had a special name for pieces like this – "terzettone” – which roughly translates as a “big ole trio.”
How old was Rossini when he made his debut?
Please try again later. Rossini made his professional debut at age 18 with La cambiale di matrimonio, or The Marriage Contract. At the Teatro San Moisè in Venice, the young composer was on a budget, working only with six soloists and no chorus.
What was the name of the opera before Charlton Heston parted the Red Sea?
The opera was so popular he adapted it in an even more grand version for Parisian audiences called Moïse et Pharaon almost a decade later. One of the most spectacular musical and dramatic moments is, not surprisingly, the parting of the Red Sea. At the end of Act III, Moses prays for assistance when he believes the Sea will stop his people, who are pursued closely by the Egyptians, from reaching the Promised Land. The musical “preghiera” (prayer) that concludes the opera “Dal tuo stellato soglio” is miraculously beautiful.
What is Rossini's opera Le Comte Ory about?
Set in the Middle Ages, the title character, Ory, disguises himself first as a hermit and later as a nun in order to get closer to the woman he loves, the Countess Adèle. At the end of the opera, Ory finally slips into Adèle’s bedroom. Unfortunately for him, so has his page, Isolier. “A la faveur de cette nuit obscure” (“Taking advantage of this dark night”) is a musical ménage à trois performed by all three.
How many operas did Gioachino Rossini write?
Gioachino Rossini is one of the most successful opera composers in history. He made so much money from the 39 original operas he created between 1810 and 1829 that he retired in his late 30s. Here are a few Rossini operas worth exploring besides his most well known work, The Barber of Seville.
What are Rossini's overtures?
Others, like the overture to Guillaume Tell are mainstays of symphony orchestras around the world. Its overture has four sections, “The Dawn,” “The Storm,” “The Cow Call,” and “The March of the Swiss Soldiers.” Though one section is often used in commercials, TV shows, and movies to depict the rising run, it’s not “The Dawn,” it’s “The Cow Call.” Even more famous, however, is “The March of the Swiss Soldiers,” which has been used in countless other media, most notably as the theme song to The Lone Ranger.
How old was Rossini when he wrote his first opera?
His first opera was performed in Venice in 1810 when he was 18 years old. In 1815 he was engaged to write operas and manage theatres in Naples. In the period 1810–1823 he wrote 34 operas for the Italian stage that were performed in Venice, Milan, Ferrara, Naples and elsewhere; this productivity necessitated an almost formulaic approach for some components (such as overtures) and a certain amount of self-borrowing. During this period he produced his most popular works, including the comic operas L'italiana in Algeri, Il barbiere di Siviglia (known in English as The Barber of Seville) and La Cenerentola, which brought to a peak the opera buffa tradition he inherited from masters such as Domenico Cimarosa and Giovanni Paisiello. He also composed opera seria works such as Otello, Tancredi and Semiramide. All of these attracted admiration for their innovation in melody, harmonic and instrumental colour, and dramatic form. In 1824 he was contracted by the Opéra in Paris, for which he produced an opera to celebrate the coronation of Charles X, Il viaggio a Reims (later cannibalised for his first opera in French, Le comte Ory ), revisions of two of his Italian operas, Le siège de Corinthe and Moïse, and in 1829 his last opera, Guillaume Tell .
Who wrote Rossini's biography?
Stendhal, who published a colourful biography of Rossini in 1824, wrote: Rossini's portion from his father, was the true native heirship of an Italian: a little music, a little religion, and a volume of Ariosto.
What happened to Rossini in 1820?
By the early 1820s Rossini was beginning to tire of Naples. The failure of his operatic tragedy Ermione the previous year convinced him that he and the Neapolitan audiences had had enough of each other. An insurrection in Naples against the monarchy, though quickly crushed, unsettled Rossini; when Barbaia signed a contract to take the company to Vienna, Rossini was glad to join them, but did not reveal to Barbaia that he had no intention of returning to Naples afterwards. He travelled with Colbran, in March 1822, breaking their journey at Bologna, where they were married in the presence of his parents in a small church in Castenaso a few miles from the city. The bride was thirty-seven, the groom thirty.
How many performances of Le Comte Ory did Rossini have?
It was Rossini's last opera with an Italian libretto. He permitted only four performances of the piece, intending to reuse the best of the music in a less ephemeral opera. About half the score of Le comte Ory (1828) is from the earlier work. Isolier, Ory, Adèle and Ragonde, in Le comte Ory.
What year did Rossini move to Naples?
1814 was a less remarkable year for the rising composer, neither Il turco in Italia or Sigismondo pleasing the Milanese or Venetian public, respectively. 1815 marked an important stage in Rossini's career. In May he moved to Naples, to take up the post of director of music for the royal theatres.
What was the success of Rossini's opera?
The success of Tancredi made Rossini's name known internationally; productions of the opera followed in London (1820) and New York (1825). Within weeks of Tancredi, Rossini had another box-office success with his comedy L'italiana in Algeri, composed in great haste and premiered in May 1813.
Why did Rossini retire from opera?
Rossini's withdrawal from opera for the last 40 years of his life has never been fully explained; contributary factors may have been ill-health, the wealth his success had brought him, and the rise of spectacular grand opera under composers such as Giacomo Meyerbeer.
What was Rossini's first opera?
By taste, and soon by obligation, Rossini threw himself into the genre then fashionable: opera buffa ( comic opera ). His first opera buffa , La cambiale di matrimonio (1810; The Bill of Marriage ), was performed in Venice and had a certain success, although his unusual orchestration made the singers indignant.
What was Rossini's style of singing?
Rossini had already broken the traditional form of opera buffa: he embellished his melodies (he was the true creator of bel canto, a florid style of singing), animated his ensembles and finales, used unusual rhythms, restored to the orchestra its rightful place, and put the singer at the service of the music. In 1812 Rossini wrote the oratorio Ciro in Babilonia ( Cyrus in Babylon) and La scala di seta ( The Silken Ladder ), another comic opera.
What did Gioachino Rossini learn?
Gioachino Rossini was the son of Giuseppe Rossini, an impoverished trumpeter who played in miscellaneous bands and orchestras, and Anna Guidarini, a singer of secondary roles. Thus, Rossini spent his entire childhood in the theatre. Though a lazy student, the young Rossini found it easy to learn to sing and play. At age 14 he entered Bologna’s Philharmonic School (now the G.B. Martini State Conservatory of Music) and composed his first opera seria — Demetrio e Polibio (1806; staged in 1812)—for the Mombelli, a family of singers. At 15 he had learned the violin, horn, and harpsichord and had often sung in public, even in the theatre, to earn some money.
What did Rossini do when his voice broke?
When his voice broke and he was unable to continue singing, Rossini became an accompanist and then a conductor. He had already realized the importance of the German school of composition, perceiving the new elements by which Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart had enriched music.
What is the name of the cantata that Dido wrote?
Back in Bologna again, he gave the cantata La morte di Didone (1811; The Death of Dido) in homage to the Mombelli family, who had helped him so much, and he scored a triumph with the two-act opera buffa L’equivoca stravagante (1811; The Extravagant Misunderstanding ).
Who sang the Italian girl in Algiers?
Overture from Gioacchino Rossini 's L'Italiana in Algeri ( The Italian Girl in Algiers ); from a 1951 recording by the NBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Arturo Toscanini.
Who sang the overture for Il Signor Bruschino?
Overture from Gioacchino Rossini 's Il signor Bruschino; from a 1951 recording by the NBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Arturo Toscanini. Overture from Gioacchino Rossini' s L'Italiana in Algeri ( The Italian Girl in Algiers ); from a 1951 recording by the NBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Arturo Toscanini.
How many operas did Gioachino Rossini write?
Gioachino Rossini is a name well-known in opera circles. Although the Italian composer did write many songs, chamber works, and piano pieces, his 39 operas are what propelled him to fame during his time and what keeps his name alive in concert programs around the world. He is the man behind The Barber of Seville and William Tell – both ...
What are some interesting facts about Rossini?
1. He was a leap-year baby. Rossini was born February 29, 1792. A few months before he died, he celebrated his 19th “actual” birthday. 2. He wrote the bulk of his operas in only 10 years.
How long did Rossini write The Barber of Seville?
At his wife Olympe’s request, his remains were relocated to the church of Sta Croce in Florence. 9. He wrote The Barber of Seville in less than three weeks. Rossini allegedly wrote his most famous opera in less than three weeks (he claimed 12 days).
Why did Rossini work as an altar boy?
His biographers noted that when he was a child, Rossini worked as an altar boy just so he could drink the sacramental wine left over after mass. When we moved to Paris, he became close friends with a chef who dedicated recipes to Rossini and, in turn, the composer wrote piano pieces dedicated to entrees and desserts.
Where is Rossini buried?
Rossini died in Paris and was buried at the famous Père Lachaise Cemetery (where you can find other notable names like Chopin, Molière, Jim Morrison, and Oscar Wilde). His tomb is absolutely impressive with huge wrought iron doors and a stone surround. However, it is also empty.
Who was Rossini's second wife?
When Rossini passed away in 1868, his second wife, Olympe, inherited a large sum, which, when she passed, was used to establish a conservatory of music in Pesaro, Italy (his birthplace) and a home for retired opera singers in Paris. 7. He was a man of great wit who loved to entertain.
How long does it take for coffee to make an opera?
He reportedly said, “Coffee is a matter of fifteen or twenty days: luckily the time to make an opera”. Learn more about coffee and classical music. 4. His operas are among the most performed in the world.
How many operas did Gioachino Rossini write?
Across a span of 20 years, Gioachino Rossini wrote 39 operas, five of them in 1812 alone. Though the Italian composer retired from composing operas at age 37, and lived to be 76, his musical legacy lives on. In honor of our new digital series, The Sonata Sessions, we've compiled a list of some of Rossini's "greatest hits.".
What is Rossini's most famous aria?
One of Rossini's most famous arias is undoubtedly "Una voce poco fa," Rosina's dazzling entra nce aria from The Barber of Seville. A splendid showpiece for the composer's beloved mezzo-sopranos, it's often sung in recitals and is a definite highlight of Rossini's most popular opera.
How long did it take Rossini to write the semiramide?
It premiered in 1823, and is said to have taken Rossini only 33 days to compose.
Who are the tenors in Le Comte Ory?
Le Comte Ory has made a comeback in recent years thanks to an influx of Rossini tenors like Lawrence Brownlee, Javier Camarena, and Juan Diego Flórez. The opera features some of Rossini's most colorful orchestral writing and calls for a trio of outstanding bel canto singers.
Overview
Life and career
Rossini was born in 1792 in Pesaro, a town on the Adriatic coast of Italy that was then part of the Papal States. He was the only child of Giuseppe Rossini, a trumpeter and horn player, and his wife Anna, née Guidarini, a seamstress by trade, daughter of a baker. Giuseppe Rossini was charming but impetuous and feckless; the burden of supporting the family and raising the child fell mainly o…
Music
The writer Julian Budden, noting the formulas adopted early on by Rossini in his career and consistently followed by him thereafter as regards overtures, arias, structures and ensembles, has called them "the Code Rossini" in a reference to the Code Napoléon, the legal system established by the French Emperor. Rossini's overall style may indeed have been influenced more directly by the Fr…
Influence and legacy
The popularity of Rossini's melodies led many contemporary virtuosi to create piano transcriptions or fantasies based on them. Examples include Sigismond Thalberg's fantasy on themes from Moïse, the sets of variations on "Non più mesta" from La Cenerentola by Henri Herz, Frédéric Chopin, Franz Hünten, Anton Diabelli and Friedrich Burgmüller, and Liszt's transcriptions of the William Tell o…
Notes, references and sources
1. ^ According to his baptismal certificate, Rossini's first name was originally Giovacchino, and he is so referred to in at least one later document from his early years. In the Cambridge Companion to Rossini, the editor, Emanuele Senici, writes that Rossini spelt the name variously as Gioachino or Gioacchino in his early years, before finally settling on the former in the 1830s. The latter spelling is now more usual among bearers of the forename, but Rossini experts generally regar…
External links
• Fondazione Gioachino Rossini, Pesaro (in Italian)
• The Center for Italian Opera Studies: Rossini critical edition
• Free scores by Rossini at the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)
• Free scores by Gioachino Rossini in the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)