Contents
Gioachino Rossini
Composing The Barber of Seville and William Tell.
The Barber of Seville · La Cenerentola
- Born
- 29 February 1792
- Birthplace
- Pesaro, Italy
- Died
- 13 November 1868
More people
Gioachino Rossini
Gioachino Rossini was an Italian composer whose operas brought rhythmic momentum and brilliant vocal writing to both comedy and drama. He stopped writing operas in his thirties but continued composing smaller works.
Early life
Musical parents
His father played horn and trumpet and his mother was a singer.
Bologna training
Studied music in Bologna after early performing experience.
Career
- 1810
Operatic debut
His first professionally staged opera appeared in Venice.
- 1813–1822
Italian success
Built a rapid succession of comic and serious operas.
- 1824–1829
Paris career
Worked in Paris and composed for French stages.
- Later decades
Life after opera
Withdrew from operatic production while writing sacred and chamber music.
Selected work
The Barber of Seville
Figaro helps a count pursue an elaborate romantic plan.
La Cenerentola
A comic reworking of Cinderella.
William Tell
A French grand opera about resistance and liberation.
Beyond work
Leap-day birthday
Born on 29 February, giving his birthday an unusual place in the calendar.
Paris gatherings
Hosted musical and social evenings in his later years.
Sources & photo credit
Life and career ↗Institutional or specialist reference ↗Photo: uncredited. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
