Rossini

Gioachino Antonio Rossini (1792–1868) was an Italian composer renowned for his operas and one of the most commercially successful figures of his era. Born in Pesaro, he grew up in a musical family and trained in Italy before rapidly establishing himself in the operatic theatres of Venice, Milan, and Rome. During the early 1810s he produced a string of successful works, with Tancredi and L’italiana in Algeri signaling his arrival as a leading composer of bel canto opera.

Rossini achieved worldwide fame with a string of popular operas in the mid-1810s, including The Barber of Seville, Otello, and his historical epic William Tell in 1829. The Barber of Seville, in particular, became one of the best-loved operas in the repertoire, celebrated for its sparkling melodies, brisk pace, and witty ensemble writing. In addition to stage works, he produced sacred music and instrumental pieces, though the opera remained his primary contribution to classical music.

His style blends rapid vocal lines and expressive melodies with strong theatrical pacing and refined orchestration. He helped shape the modern operatic form by blending opera seria and opera buffa elements, advancing ensemble scenes and memorable tunes, and influencing later composers in Italy and France, including those of the bel canto and Romantic periods.

After Guillaume Tell, Rossini largely ceased writing operas and settled in Paris, where he continued to compose sacred music and supervise performances. He remained a central figure in 19th-century Italian music and left a lasting legacy through a canon of enduringly popular works.