Gioachino Rossini, born on Feb. 29, 1729, is one of the great masters of Italian Opera.<\/p>\n
He was born in Pesaro and began to compose at the age of 12. He premiered his first opera \u201cLa Cambiale Di Matrimonio\u201d in Venice in 1812 when he was just 18. Five years later, he was being engaged to write operas all over the Italian stage, culminating in a total of 34 operas in 13 years. His proficiency was the result of Rossini often borrowing music from previous operas for his new ones.<\/p>\n
From 1824 until 1829, Rossini composed five more operas for the Paris Opera; after the premiere of \u201cGuillaume Tell\u201d in 1829, he never composed another opera. He would die in 1868.<\/p>\n
His particular style of composition was dubbed the \u201cCode Rossini\u201d by writer Julian Budden due to its predictable structure. He often employed several composition techniques in his writing, especially the \u201cRossini crescendo<\/a>.\u201d His overtures are often in sonata form as well.<\/p>\n Signature Works<\/strong><\/p>\n Rossini is best known for two major comedies \u2013 \u201cIl Barbiere di Siviglia\u201d and \u201cLa Cenerentola.\u201d Both works are major fixtures in the standard repertory around the planet. \u201cL\u2019Italiana in Algeri\u201d and “Le Comte Ory” are other comedies that approach the popularity of the other Bel Canto comedies.<\/p>\n But he also created a number of Opera Seria that has become increasingly prominent at major opera houses. Among these works that are working their way into the standard repertory are \u201cTancredi,\u201d \u201cOtello,\u201d \u201cGuillaume Tell,\u201d and \u201cSemiramide;\u201d \u201cGuillaume Tell\u201d was one of his last works and is increasingly seen as his finest work.<\/p>\n Read More on Rossini<\/strong><\/p>\n