HMR Project: History of Music & Modern Recording

Gioachino Antonio Rossini

Born on 29 February 1792 in Pesaro, Italy, Gioachino Antonio Rossini was of singularly powerful influence on opera during the first half of the 19th century, his 39 Italian operas the greatest rival at that time to German opera. He also composed a number of cantatas profane (secular), instrumental and sacred works. Rossini had a horn player for a father who also inspected slaughterhouses, and a singer for a mother, both of whom played together at theatres. He also received fundamental instruction for a couple of years from a blacksmith to whom he was apprenticed. Rossini's initial compositions were songs for piano and voice, his first called 'Se il vuol la molinara' with its manuscript completed on 20 March 1801 [LOC]. Who wrote the words for this song is unknown. Come six string quartet sonatas written and performed in 1804 at age twelve. Five of those saw later publishing by Ricordi in Milan in 1826, No. 3 didn't see print until 1954.

'Se il vuol la molinara' Aria by Gioachino Rossini

First-known work finished age 9 on 20 March 1801

Piano: Martin Katz Mezzo-soprano: Marilyn Horne

'Sonata No.3' from 'Sei sonate a quattro' C major Sonata by Gioachino Rossini

Finished at age twelve in 1804

Violin: Baiba Skride Violin: Andrés Gabetta

Cello: Monika Leskovar Double bass: Roberto di Ronza

Solsberg Festival 2017

Rossini's first appearance in public (other than in a choir) was in 1805, singing in a theatre, which he never did again. He composed his first opera, 'Demetrio e Polibio', in 1806 as a cello student at the Accademia Filarmonica di Bologna, but didn't commercially stage it until 18 May 1812 at the Teatro Valle in Rome. This two-act opera is a romantic intrigue involving mistaken identity and kidnapping surrounding the lovers, Lisinga and Siveno, daughter of Polibio, King of Parthia, and estranged son of Demetrio, King of Syria. It was commissioned by tenor, Domenico Mombelli, whose wife, the ballerina Vincenzina Viganò-Mombelli, wrote the libretto.

Rossini's debut opera in public was 'La Cambiale di Matrimonio' ('The Bill of Marriage') on 3 November 1810 at the Teatro San Moisè in Venice. Rossini was eighteen years of age when he swiftly authored this one-act opera set in London with libretto by Gaetano Rossi concerning an intended marriage between one Fanny and one Slook, the latter a Canadian businessman in whom Fanny has no interest, loving one Eduardo instead, an Eduardo too poor for Fanny's father, Tobias Mill, to agree to their relationship. This dilemma arrives to Slook and Mill facing off at a duel once Slook no longer desires Fanny, now to persuade Mill to permit Eduardo to marry his daughter instead of himself.

Rossini spent the next decade becoming Italy's most popular name in opera. His two-act 'L'equivoco stravagante' ('The curious misunderstanding') premiered at the Teatro del Corso in Bologna on 24 Oct 1811 with libretto by Gaetano Gaspari. The misunderstanding in this case is a matter of covert identity mixed into a romance between one Ermanno and one Ernestina. This opera was shut down by police ostensibly due to army desertion being part of the story.

Overture to 'La Cambiale di Matrimonio' Opera by Gioachino Rossini

Premiere 3 Nov 1810 at the Teatro San Moisè in Venice

Libretto: Gaetano Rossi

Bonn Classic Ensemble

'L'equivoco stravagante' Opera by Gioachino Rossini

Premiere 26 Oct 1811 at the Teatro del Corso in Bologna

Libretto: Gaetano Rossi

Coro del Teatro Ventidio Basso / Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della Rai / Carlo Rizzi

Direction: Moshe Leiser / Patrice Caurier

Ermanno: Pavel Kolgatin Ernastina: Teresa Iervolino

'Questo cor ti giura amore' from 'Demetrio e Polibio' Aria by Gioachino Rossini

'This heart swears you love'

Premiere 12 May 1812 at the Teatro Valle in Rome

Libretto: Vincenzina Viganò-Mombelli

Sara Mingardo / Christine Weidinger

In 1815 Rossini came by an offer too nice to despise from impresario, Domenico Barbaia, in Naples. Rossini was to supply one opera per year to the Teatro di San Carlo and the Teatro del Fondo. He was to be paid 200 ducats per month in addition to what would amount to about 1000 ducats annually from gambling tables at those theatres. For Beethoven the value of 1 ducat after 1816 was equivalent to $133 today. If the value of a ducat was anything similar in Italy, that provided Rossini a salary of about $319,200 today, plus another $133,000 in gambling profits, a rather prime rib income, anyway, for a man only 24 years old in 1816. Rossini's initial opera at the San Carlo was 'Elisabetta, regina d'Inghilterra' to the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples on 4 October 1815 with libretto by Giovanni Schmidt. This opera concerns Elizabeth's displeasure in Leicester, her war hero whom she secretly loves, because he has secretly married Matilde, daughter of Mary of Scotts whom she has recently had beheaded. This situation is further complicated by the Duke of Norfolk whose envy of Leicester causes him to scheme the latter's harm.

'Elisabetta, regina d'Inghilterra' Opera by Gioachino Rossini

Premiere 4 Oct 1815 at the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples

Libretto: Giovanni Schmidt

C & O of the Teatro Massimo di Palermo / Nino Sanzogno

Elisabetta: Leyla Gencer

Rossini may be most famous for his opera, 'The Barber of Seville or The Useless Precaution'), that premiered in Rome on 20 February 1816 at the Teatro Argentina. This opera buffa with a libretto by Cesare Sterbini took Rossini not quite three weeks to compose. The story is an involved competition between Count Almaviva and Doctor Bartolo for the hand of Rosina, Bartolo's ward. The barber is Figaro, who sings the famous aria, 'Largo al factotum' ('Make way for the factotum'), in which he repeats his name. A factotum is a general servant tasked with whatnot.

'Largo al factotum' from Act 1:1 of 'Il Barbiere di Siviglia' Aria by Gioachino Rossini

'Make way for the servant'

Premiere 20 Feb 1816 at the Teatro Argentina in Rome

Libretto: Cesare Sterbini

English National Opera / Paul Daniel

Baritenor: Michael Spyres Royal Albert Hall

'Una voce poco fa' from Act 1:5 of 'Il Barbiere di Siviglia' Aria by Gioachino Rossini

'A voice just now'

Premiere 20 Feb 1816 at the Teatro Argentina in Rome

Libretto: Cesare Sterbini

Anna Moffo La Bellissima (The Beautiful)

'Cessa di piu resistere' Final aria in 'Il Barbiere di Siviglia' from Act 2 Gioachino Rossini

'Cease resisting any longer'

Premiere 20 Feb 1816 at the Teatro Argentina in Rome

Libretto: Cesare Sterbini

Tenor: Rockwell Blake as Count Almaviva

Rossini's 'La Cenerentola, ossia La bontà in trionfo' ('Cinderella, or Goodness Triumphant') premiered in Rome at the Teatro Valle on 25 January 1817. The story of Cinderella has deep roots known to go as far back as 'Rhodopis' by the Greek geographer, Strabo, sometime between 7 BC and 23 AD. In this first-known version it is a Greek slave girl who marries the king of Egypt. The tale was first published in Europe in 1634 in Italy by Giambattista Basile in his 'Pentamerone'. The version with which most are familiar these days is from Charles Perrault's 1697 'Cendrillon' (Anglicized as 'Cinderella') in his fairy tale collection titled 'Histoires ou contes du temps passé' although the Brothers Grimm later wrote a version titled 'Aschenputtel' included in 'Grimms' Fairy Tales' of 1812.

Overture to 'La Cenerentola' Opera by Gioachino Rossini

Premiere 25 Jan 1817 at the Teatro Valle in Rome

Libretto: Jacopo Ferretti

Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra / Iacopo Sipari di Pescasseroli 27 Nov 2017

Rossini premiered his 'La gazza ladra' ('The thieving magpie') at La Scala in Milan on 31 May 1817. Rossini wrote a couple of operas each year and is said to have written quickly. On this particular occasion the overture was overdue, such that the conductor had to have Rossini locked in a room at La Scala to complete it in time for its scheduled performance. 'The thieving magpie' concerns a slave girl who is nearly hung for stealing silver from her employer until the magpie is discovered to be the trouble.

Overture to 'La gazza ladra' Opera by Gioachino Rossini

'The thieving magpie'

Premiere 31 May 1817 at La Scala in Milan

Libretto: Giovanni Gherardini

Berliner Symphoniker / Antonio Puccio

Among the more difficult operas for singers to perform is Rossini's 'Bianca e Falliero' with libretto by Felice Romani premiering on 26 December 1819. This is due to its use of embellishing coloratura such as leaps, trills, et al. Coloratura scored for voice is comparable to ornamentation for instruments and is employed in Italian opera alone. The tale of 'Bianca e Falliero' is set in Venice, its argument concerning whom Bianca shall marry, Capellio chosen by her father to end hostilities between opposing clans, or Falliero, both a war hero and her true love.

'Bianca e Falliero' Opera by Gioachino Rossini

Premiere 26 Dec 1819 at La Scala in Milan

Libretto: Giovanni Gherardini

Coro Filarmonico di Praga / London Sinfonietta Opera Orchestra

In 1822 Rossini staged works in Vienna before traveling to Paris and London the next year. In 1824 he became music director at the Théâtre des Italiens in Paris, to be paid £800 annually (about $94,095 today). He also began composing for Charles X of France for whom he staged a complex 'Il viaggio a Reims, ossia L'albergo del giglio d'oro' ('The journey to Reims, or The hotel of the golden fleur-de-lis') in Paris on 19 June of 1825 as a trailing part of Charles' coronation in Reims on 28 May 1825. This opera concerns the predicament of numerous illustrious guests from about Europe who have gathered at the Golden Lily Hotel and Spa in Plombières-les-Bains to continue onward to the coronation of Charles X in Reims, but for perils such as lost luggage and no available horses with which to finish their journey. The day is saved by Charles arriving to Plombières-les-Bains where said travelers then honor him and monarchical France. The so-called overture for this work was not written by Rossini. It was provided much later in the early 20th century using dances from Rossini's 1826 'Le siège de Corinthe'. This dramma giocoso is another opera calling upon virtuosic vocals, and is the last in Italian, the remainder to come in French.

'Il viaggio a Reims, ossia L'albergo del giglio d'oro' Opera by Gioachino Rossini

Premiere 19 June 1825 at the Théâtre Italien in Paris

Libretto: Luigi Balocchi

Coro de la Communidad de Madrid / Jordi Casas

Orquesta Sinfonica de Galicia / Alberto Zedda

Rossini's 'Le Comte Ory' premiered on 20 August 1828 at the Salle Le Peletier in Paris with French libretto by Eugène Scribe and Charles-Gaspard Delestre-Poirson authored earlier in 1817. 'Count Ory' concerns one 'Countess Adèle' with whom said count is in love. In order to gain her he disguises himself as a hermit and counsels her to be receptive to love. She takes his advice but, unfortunately, falls for the wrong person, his page, Isolier. 'Le Comte Ory' saw stage in England in 1829, New Orleans in 1830 and New York City in 1831.

'Le Comte Ory' Opera by Gioachino Rossini

Premiere 20 August 1828 at Salle Le Peletier in Paris

Libretto: Eugène Scribe / Charles-Gaspard Delestre-Poirson

C & O del Teatro La Fenice Ferruccio Lozer / Bruno Campanella

Le Comte Ory: William Matteuzzi (tenor) Venice 26 April 1988

The four-act 'William Tell' was Rossini's 39th and last opera, arriving on 3 August 1829 to Salle Le Peletier in Paris with libretto by Victor-Joseph Étienne de Jouy and L. F. Bis after Friedrich Schiller's play, 'William Tell', based on the legend of William Tell. The opera conveys the exploits of the archer, William Tell, in Austrian-occupied Switzerland during the 13th century. Its famous overture is equally well-known as the theme of 'The Lone Ranger', the television series that ran from 1949 to 1957 [IMDB / Wikipedia]. 'The Lone Ranger' had begun as a radio show which initial broadcast had been by WXYZ in Detroit on 30 January 1933.

'Lone Ranger' television theme starring Clayton Moore and his horse Silver

From the opera 'William Tell' by Gioachino Rossini

From the 'March of the Swiss Soldiers' finale of the 'William Tell Overture'

Neither recording date nor musicians identified This show aired from 1949 to 1958

'Guillaume Tell' 39th and last opera by Gioachino Rossini

Premiere 3 August 1829 at Salle Le Peletier in Paris

Libretto: Victor-Joseph Étienne de Jouy / L. F. Bis

C & O de l'Opera National de Paris Bruno Campanella 2003

Rossini retired in 1830 at age 37, trading theatre for the life of a gourmand (as one might gather from his photo above) and hosting salons. He did continue to compose, however, at leisure. Movements 2 through 4 and 10 of his 'Stabat Mater' of 1831 had been composed by Giovanni Tadolini, until they were replaced by Rossini's revision of 1841.

'Stabat Mater' 10 movements Gioachino Rossini

1831 w movements 2-4 & 10 by Giovanni Tadolini 1841 all movements by Rossini

C & O del Teatro Comunale di Bologna / Michele Mariotti 2020

Rossini's 'Péchés de Vieillesse' ('Sins of Old Age') is a collection of 150 piano and voice solos in fourteen volumes composed for his solons in Passy between 1857 and his death on 13 Nov 1868 of pneumonia in Paris [Will & Testament of 1858]. His 'Petite Messe Solennelle' ('Little Festive Mass') was at first conceived as part of 'Sins of Old Age' but grew larger. It was initially performed in Paris on March 14, 1864, at the home of Countess Louise Pillet-Will to whom it was dedicated, probably commissioned by her husband. Written for four soloists, mixed choir, two pianos and harmonium, Rossini later revised it for orchestra and twelve voices in 1866-67 toward a posthumous performance in Paris on 24 Feb 1869.

'Péchés de vieillesse' Solon music by Gioachino Rossini

1857-68 in Passy

Piano: Alessandro Marangoni

Program

'Petite messe solennelle' Sacred music by Gioachino Rossini

1863 for chamber 1867 for orchestra

C & O Sinfónica de Galicia / Alberto Zedda

It's been figured that Beethoven's 9th Symphony may have been worth about $19,200 in today's money to him, a little sonata or cantata perhaps seven to nine hundred dollars, nothing like the sums made in modern times for any silly song at all. Rossini himself left an estate valued at about 1.4 million dollars today. This is peanuts to not a few contemporary musicians, but in Rossini's period, during which there was neither radio nor recording from which to earn royalties, that was rock star wealth. The rock stars of classical music were, of course, its virtuosic pianists, violinists and vocalists such as sopranos, though the opera singer today is now a beggar compared to what other musicians earn.

Sources & References for Gioachino Antonio Rossini:

David Brensilver (All Music)

VF History (notes)

Audio of Rossini:

Una voce poco fa (aria from Il Barbiere di Siviglia of 1816 / 5 top performances)