Gioachino Rossini
Rossini was born in Pesaro, Marche, in 1792, in musical family. The father of the future composer was a horn player, and his mother was a singer.
Soon, musical talent was discovered in the child, after which he was sent away to develop his voice. They sent him to Bologna, to Angelo Thesei. There he also began to learn to play the .
In addition, the famous tenor Mateo Babbini gave him several lessons. Somewhat later he became a student of Abbot Matei. He taught him only the knowledge of simple counterpoint. According to the abbot, knowledge of counterpoint was quite enough to write operas himself.
And so it happened. Rossini's first debut was the one-act opera La cambiale di matrimonio, "The Marriage Bill", which, like his next opera staged at the Venetian theater, attracted the attention of a wide public. She liked them, and liked them so much that Rossini was literally swamped with work.
By 1812, the composer had already written five operas. After they were staged in Venice, Italians came to the conclusion that Rossini was the greatest living opera composer in Italy.
What the public liked most of all was his “The Barber of Seville.” There is an opinion that this opera is the most brilliant creation not only of Rossini, but also best work in the opera buffe genre. Rossini created it in twenty days based on the play by Beaumarchais.
An opera had already been written on this plot, and therefore the new opera was perceived as audacity. Therefore, the first time she was received rather coldly. Upset, Gioacchino refused to conduct his opera for the second time, and it was precisely the second time that it received the most magnificent response. There was even a torchlight procession.
New operas and life in France
While writing his opera Othello, Rossini completely dispensed with the recitativo secco. And he happily continued to write operas. Soon he entered into a contract with Domenico Barbaia, to whom he undertook to deliver two new operas every year. At that moment he had not only Neapolitan operas in his hands, but also La Scala in Milan.
Around this time, Rossini married the singer Isabella Colbran. In 1823 he goes to London. The director of His Majesty's Theater invited him there. There, in about five months, including lessons and concerts, he earns approximately £10,000.
Gioachino Antonio RossiniSoon he settled in Paris, and for a long time. There he became director Italian theater in Paris.
At the same time, Rossini did not have organizational skills at all. As a result, the theater found itself in a very disastrous situation.
In general, after the French Revolution, Rossini lost not only this, but also his other positions and retired.
During his life in Paris, he became a true Frenchman and in 1829 he wrote “William Tell,” his last stage work.
Completion of creative career and last years of life
Soon, in 1836, he had to return to Italy. At first he lived in Milan, then he moved and lived in his villa near Bologna.
His first wife died in 1847, and then, two years later, he married Olympia Pelissier.
For a while he was revived again due to the enormous success of his latest work, but in 1848 the unrest that occurred had a very bad effect on his well-being, and he completely retired.
He had to flee to Florence, and then he recovered and returned to Paris. He made his home one of the most fashionable salons at that time.
Rossini died in 1868 from pneumonia.
ROSSINI, GIOACCHINO(Rossini, Gioacchino) (1792–1868), Italian opera composer, author of the immortal Barber of Seville. Born on February 29, 1792 in Pesaro in the family of a city trumpeter (herald) and a singer. He fell in love with music very early, especially singing, but began to study seriously only at the age of 14, when he entered the Musical Lyceum in Bologna. There he studied cello and counterpoint until 1810, when Rossini's first noteworthy composition was a one-act farce opera. Promissory note for marriage (La cambiale di matrimonio, 1810) – was staged in Venice. It was followed by a number of operas of the same type, including two - Touchstone (La pietra del paragone, 1812) and Silk staircase (La scala di seta, 1812) – are still popular.
Finally, in 1813, Rossini composed two operas that immortalized his name: Tancred (Tancredi) by Tasso and then a two-act opera buffa Italian in Algeria (L'italiana in Algeri), triumphantly accepted in Venice, and then throughout Northern Italy.
The young composer tried to compose several operas for Milan and Venice, but none of them (even the opera that retained its charm Turk in Italy, Il Turkey in Italy, 1814) – a kind of “pair” to the opera Italian in Algeria) was not successful. In 1815, Rossini was lucky again, this time in Naples, where he signed a contract with the impresario of the San Carlo Theater. It's about about opera Elizabeth, Queen of England (Elisabetta, regina d'Inghilterra), a virtuoso composition written specifically for Isabella Colbran, a Spanish prima donna (soprano) who enjoyed the favor of the Neapolitan court and mistress of the impresario (a few years later, Isabella became Rossini's wife). Then the composer went to Rome, where he planned to write and stage several operas. The second of them was opera Barber of Seville (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), first staged on February 20, 1816. The failure of the opera at the premiere turned out to be as loud as its triumph in the future.
Returning, in accordance with the terms of the contract, to Naples, Rossini staged an opera there in December 1816, which was perhaps most highly appreciated by his contemporaries - Othello according to Shakespeare: there are truly beautiful passages in it, but the work is spoiled by the libretto, which distorts Shakespeare's tragedy. Rossini composed the next opera again for Rome: his Cinderella (La cenerentola, 1817) was subsequently favorably received by the public; the premiere did not give any grounds for assumptions about future success. However, Rossini took the failure much more calmly. Also in 1817, he traveled to Milan to stage an opera. Thieving Magpie (La gazza ladra) - an elegantly orchestrated melodrama, now almost forgotten, except for the magnificent overture. Upon his return to Naples, Rossini staged an opera there at the end of the year Armida (Armida), which was warmly received and is still rated much higher than Thieving Magpie: upon resurrection Armids In our time, we can still feel the tenderness, if not the sensuality, that this music radiates.
Over the next four years, Rossini managed to compose a dozen more operas, mostly not particularly interesting. However, before the termination of the contract with Naples, he presented the city with two outstanding works. In 1818 he wrote an opera Moses in Egypt (Mosé in Egitto), which soon conquered Europe; in fact, this is a kind of oratorio, notable here are the majestic choirs and the famous “Prayer”. In 1819 Rossini presented Maiden of the Lake (La donna del lago), which had a somewhat more modest success, but contained charming romantic music. When the composer eventually left Naples (1820), he took Isabella Colbran with him and married her, but later they family life did not proceed very happily.
In 1822, Rossini, accompanied by his wife, left Italy for the first time: he entered into an agreement with his old friend, the impresario of the San Carlo Theater, who now became director Vienna Opera. The composer brought his last job– opera Zelmira (Zelmira), which won the author unprecedented success. True, some musicians, led by K.M. von Weber, sharply criticized Rossini, but others, and among them F. Schubert, gave favorable assessments. As for society, it unconditionally took Rossini’s side. The most remarkable event of Rossini's trip to Vienna was his meeting with Beethoven, which he later recalled in a conversation with R. Wagner.
In the autumn of the same year, the composer was summoned to Verona by Prince Metternich himself: Rossini was supposed to honor the conclusion of the Holy Alliance with cantatas. In February 1823 he composed a new opera for Venice - Semiramis (Semiramida), from which only the overture now remains in the concert repertoire. As it were, Semiramis can be considered the culmination of the Italian period in Rossini's work, if only because it was the last opera he composed for Italy. Moreover, Semiramis passed with such brilliance in other countries that after it the reputation of Rossini as the largest opera composer era was no longer subject to any doubt. No wonder Stendhal compared Rossini’s triumph in the field of music with Napoleon’s victory in the Battle of Austerlitz.
At the end of 1823, Rossini found himself in London (where he stayed for six months), and before that he spent a month in Paris. The composer was hospitably received by King George VI, with whom he sang duets; Rossini was in great demand secular society as a singer and accompanist. The most important event that time was the receipt of an invitation to Paris as artistic director opera house"Theater Italian". The significance of this contract, firstly, is that it determined the composer’s place of residence until the end of his days, and secondly, that it confirmed the absolute superiority of Rossini as an opera composer. It must be remembered that Paris was then the center of the musical universe; an invitation to Paris was the highest honor imaginable for a musician.
Rossini began his new duties on December 1, 1824. Apparently, he managed to improve the management of the Italian Opera, especially in terms of conducting performances. The performances of two previously written operas, which Rossini radically reworked for Paris, were a great success, and most importantly, he composed a charming comic opera Count Ory (Le comte Ory). (It was, predictably, a huge success when it was revived in 1959.) Next piece Rossini, who appeared in August 1829, became an opera William Tell (Guillaume Tell), a work generally considered the composer's greatest achievement. Recognized by performers and critics as an absolute masterpiece, this opera has never aroused such enthusiasm among the public as Barber of Seville, Semiramis or even Moses: ordinary listeners thought Tellya the opera is too long and cold. However, it cannot be denied that the second act contains the most beautiful music, and fortunately, this opera has not completely disappeared from the modern world repertoire and the listener of our days has the opportunity to make his own judgment about it. Let us only note that all Rossini’s operas created in France were written to French librettos.
After William Tell Rossini wrote no more operas, and in the next four decades he created only two significant compositions in other genres. Needless to say, such a cessation of composer activity at the very zenith of skill and fame is a unique phenomenon in the history of world musical culture. Many different explanations for this phenomenon have been proposed, but, of course, no one knows the full truth. Some said that Rossini's departure was caused by his rejection of the new Parisian opera idol - J. Meyerbeer; others pointed to the insult caused to Rossini by the actions of the French government, which tried to terminate the contract with the composer after the revolution in 1830. Mention was also made of the deterioration of the musician’s well-being and even his allegedly incredible laziness. Perhaps all the factors mentioned above played a role, except the last one. Please note that when leaving Paris after William Tell, Rossini had the firm intention of starting a new opera ( Faust). He is also known to have pursued and won a six-year lawsuit against the French government over his pension. As for his state of health, having experienced the shock of the death of his beloved mother in 1827, Rossini actually felt unwell, at first not very strong, but later progressing with alarming speed. Everything else is more or less plausible speculation.
During the next Tellem For decades, Rossini, although he kept his apartment in Paris, lived mainly in Bologna, where he hoped to find the peace necessary after the nervous tension of the previous years. True, in 1831 he went to Madrid, where the now widely known Stabat Mater(in the first edition), and in 1836 - to Frankfurt, where he met F. Mendelssohn and thanks to him discovered the work of J. S. Bach. But still, it was Bologna (not counting regular trips to Paris in connection with the litigation) that remained the composer’s permanent residence. It can be assumed that it was not only court cases that called him to Paris. In 1832 Rossini met Olympia Pelissier. Rossini's relationship with his wife had long left much to be desired; In the end, the couple decided to separate, and Rossini married Olympia, who became a good wife for the sick Rossini. Finally, in 1855, after a scandal in Bologna and disappointment from Florence, Olympia convinced her husband to hire a carriage (he did not recognize trains) and go to Paris. Very slowly his physical and state of mind started to improve; a share of, if not gaiety, then wit returned to him; music, which had been a taboo subject for many years, began to come to his mind again. April 15, 1857 - Olympia's name day - became a kind of turning point: on this day Rossini dedicated a cycle of romances to his wife, which he composed in secret from everyone. He was followed by a number of small plays - Rossini called them The sins of my old age; the quality of this music requires no comment for fans Magic shop (La boutique fantasque) - a ballet for which the plays served as the basis. Finally, in 1863, the last - and truly significant - work of Rossini appeared: Little Solemn Mass (Petite messe solennelle). This mass is not very solemn and not at all small, but beautiful in music and imbued with deep sincerity, which attracted the attention of the musicians to the composition.
Rossini died on November 13, 1868 and was buried in Paris at the Père Lachaise cemetery. After 19 years, at the request of the Italian government, the coffin with the composer’s body was transported to Florence and buried in the Church of Santa Croce next to the ashes of Galileo, Michelangelo, Machiavelli and other great Italians.
Rossini, Gioachino (1792-1868), Italy
Gioachino Rossini was born on February 29, 1792 in the city of Pesaro in the family of a city trumpeter and singer. Having received his primary education, the future composer began his working life as a blacksmith's apprentice. At an early age, Rossini moved to Bologna, then the center of provincial musical culture in Italy.
In Wagner there are charming moments and terrible quarters of an hour.
Rossini Gioacchino
In 1806, at the age of 14, he was elected a member of the Bologna Academy of Sciences and in the same year entered the music lyceum. At the Lyceum Rossini acquired professional knowledge. He was greatly influenced by the work of Haydn and Mozart. Particular success in his training was observed in the field of vocal writing technique - the culture of singing in Italy has always been at its best.
In 1810, Rossini, who graduated from the Lyceum, staged his first opera, “The Promissory Note for Marriage,” in Venice. A year after this performance, he became known throughout Italy and since then has devoted his work to musical theater.
Six years later, he composed “The Barber of Seville,” which brought him fame that eclipsed even Beethoven, Weber and other musical luminaries of that time in the eyes of his contemporaries.
Rossini was only thirty years old when his name became known throughout the world, and music became an integral part of XIX century. On the other hand, until 1822, the composer lived continuously in his homeland, and of the 33 operas he wrote between 1810 and 1822, only one ended up in the world musical treasury.
Give me the laundry bill and I'll put it to music.
Rossini Gioacchino
At that time, the theater in Italy was not so much a center of art as a place of friendly and business meetings, and Rossini did not fight it. He brought a new breath to the culture of his country - a magnificent bel canto culture, a cheerfulness folk song Italy.
Particularly interesting were the composer’s creative quests in the period between 1815 and 1820, when Rossini tried to introduce the achievements of advanced opera schools in other countries. This is noticeable in his works “The Virgin of the Lake” (1819) or “Othello” (after Shakespeare).
This period in Rossini's work was marked, first of all, by a number of major achievements in the field of comic theater. However, he needed to develop further. His direct acquaintance with the latest art Austria, Germany and France. Rossini visited Vienna in 1822, and the result was the development of orchestral-symphonic principles in his subsequent operas, for example, in Semiriad (1823). Subsequently, Rossini continued his creative search in Paris, where he moved in 1824. Moreover, in six years he wrote five operas, two of which were reworkings of his previous works. In 1829, William Tell appeared, written for the French stage. It became both the peak and the end of Rossini's creative evolution. After its release, Rossini, at the age of 37, stopped creating for the stage. He wrote two more famous works, "Stabat Mater" (1842) and "Little Solemn Mass" (1863). It is not clear why, in the triumph of glory, the composer decided to leave the heights of musical Olympus, but it is indisputable that Rossini did not accept new directions in opera in the mid-19th century.
This kind of music needs to be listened to more than once or twice. But I can't do it more than once.
Rossini Gioacchino
In the last ten years of his life (1857-1868), Rossini became interested in piano music. From 1855 he lived constantly in Paris, where he died on November 13, 1868. In 1887 his ashes were transported to his homeland.
WORKS:
operas (38 in total):
"Promissory Note for Marriage" (1810)
"The Silk Staircase" (1812)
"Touchstone" (1812)
"Strange Case" (1812)
"Signor Bruschino" (1813)
"Tancred" (1813)
"Italian in Algiers" (1813)
"The Turk in Italy" (1814)
"Elizabeth, Queen of England" (1815)
"Torvaldo and Dorliska" (1815)
"The Barber of Seville" (1816)
"Othello" (1816)
"Cinderella" (1817)
"The Thieving Magpie" (1817)
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Biography, life story of Rossini Gioachino
ROSSINI Gioachino (1792-1868), Italian composer. The flourishing of Italian opera in the 19th century is associated with Rossini's work. His music is distinguished by inexhaustible melodic richness, accuracy, and witty characteristics. He enriched the opera buffa with realistic content, the pinnacle of which is his “The Barber of Seville” (1816). Operas: "Tancred", "Italian in Algiers" (both 1813), "Othello" (1816), "Cinderella", "The Thieving Magpie" (both 1817), "Semiramis" (1823), "William Tell" (1829 , a striking example of heroic-romantic opera).
ROSSINI (Rossini) Gioachino ( full name Gioachino Antonio) (February 29, 1792, Pesaro - November 13, 1868, Passy, near Paris), Italian composer.
Rough start
The son of a horn player and singer, he studied playing the instrument from childhood. different instruments and singing; sang in church choirs and the theaters of Bologna, where the Rossini family settled in 1804. By the age of 13, he was already the author of six charming sonatas for strings. In 1806, when he was 14 years old, he entered the Bologna Musical Lyceum, where his counterpoint teacher was the prominent composer and theorist S. Mattei (1750-1825). He composed his first opera, the one-act farce “The Marriage Bill” (for the Venetian Teatro San Moise), at the age of 18. Then came orders from Bologna, Ferrara, again from Venice and from Milan. The opera Touchstone (1812), written for La Scala, brought Rossini his first major success. In 16 months (in 1811-12), Rossini wrote seven operas, including six in the opera buffa genre.
First international success
In subsequent years, Rossini's activity did not decrease. His first two operas appeared in 1813 and won international success. Both of them were created for the theaters of Venice. The opera series "Tancred" is rich in memorable melodies and harmonic turns, moments of brilliant orchestral writing; The opera buffa "Italian in Algiers" combines comic grotesquery, sensitivity and patriotic pathos. Less successful were two operas intended for Milan (including The Turk in Italy, 1814). By that time, the main features of Rossini’s style had been established, including the famous “Rossini crescendo”, which amazed his contemporaries: the technique of gradually increasing intensity through repeated repetitions of a short musical phrase with the addition of more and more new instruments, expanding the range, splitting durations, and varying articulation.
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"The Barber of Seville" and "Cinderella"
In 1815, Rossini, at the invitation of the influential impresario Domenico Barbaii (1778-1841), went to Naples to take up the position of resident composer and music director Teatro San Carlo. For Naples, Rossini wrote mainly serious operas; at the same time, he fulfilled orders coming from other cities, including Rome. It was for the Roman theaters that Rossini's two best buffa operas, The Barber of Seville and Cinderella, were intended. The first, with its elegant melodies, exciting rhythms and masterfully performed ensembles, is considered the pinnacle of the buffoon genre in Italian opera. At its premiere in 1816, The Barber of Seville failed, but some time later it won the love of the public in all European countries. In 1817, the charming and touching fairy tale “Cinderella” appeared; her heroine's part begins with a simple song in folk spirit and ends with a luxurious coloratura aria, befitting a princess (the music of the aria is borrowed from The Barber of Seville).
Mature master
Among the serious operas Rossini created in the same period for Naples, Othello (1816) stands out; The last, third act of this opera, with its strong, solid structure, testifies to the confident and mature skill of Rossini as a playwright. In his Neapolitan operas, Rossini paid the necessary tribute to stereotypical vocal “acrobatics” and at the same time significantly expanded the range musical means. Many of the ensemble scenes of these operas are very extensive, the chorus plays an unusually active role, the obligatory recitatives are full of drama, and the orchestra often comes to the fore. Apparently, trying to involve his audience in the twists and turns of the drama from the very beginning, Rossini abandoned the traditional overture in a number of operas. In Naples, Rossini began an affair with the most popular prima donna, Barbaia's friend I. Colbran. They got married in 1822, but their marital happiness did not last long (the final breakup occurred in 1837).
In Paris
Rossini's career in Naples ended with the opera series Mahomet II (1820) and Zelmira (1822); his last opera created in Italy was Semiramide (1823, Venice). The composer and his wife spent several months of 1822 in Vienna, where Barbaya organized an opera season; then they returned to Bologna, and in 1823-24 they traveled to London and Paris. In Paris, Rossini took over the post of musical director of the Italian Theater. Among the works of Rossini created for this theater and for the Grand Opera, there are editions of early operas (The Siege of Corinth, 1826; Moses and Pharaoh, 1827), partially new compositions (Count Ory, 1828) and operas, new from beginning to end (William Tell, 1829). The latter is the prototype of the French heroic grand opera- is often considered the pinnacle of Rossini’s work. It is unusually large in volume, contains many inspired pages, abounds in complex ensembles, ballet scenes and processions in the traditional French spirit. In its richness and sophistication of orchestration, boldness of harmonic language and richness of dramatic contrasts, William Tell surpasses all previous works of Rossini.
Back in Italy. Return to Paris
After William Tell, the 37-year-old composer, who had reached the pinnacle of fame, decided to give up composing operas. In 1837 he left Paris for Italy and two years later was appointed adviser to the Bologna Musical Lyceum. At the same time (in 1839) he fell ill with a long and serious illness. In 1846, a year after Isabella's death, Rossini married Olympia Pelissier, with whom he had been living for 15 years by that time (it was Olympia who took care of Rossini during his illness). All this time he practically did not compose (his church composition Stabat mater, first performed in 1842 under the direction of G. Donizetti, dates back to the Parisian period). In 1848 the Rossini couple moved to Florence. The return to Paris (1855) had a beneficial effect on the health and creative tone of the composer. Recent years his life was marked by the creation of many elegant and witty piano and vocal pieces, which Rossini called "The Sins of Old Age", and "The Little Solemn Mass" (1863). All this time, Rossini was surrounded by universal respect. He was buried in the Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris; in 1887 his ashes were transferred to the Florentine Church of St. Cross (Santa Croce).
The famous Italian composer Gioachino Rossini was born on February 29, 1792 in the small town of Pesaro, located on the coast of the Gulf of Venice.
From childhood he became involved in music. His father, Giuseppe Rossini, nicknamed Veselchak for his playful disposition, was a city trumpeter, and his mother, a woman of rare beauty, had a wonderful voice. There were always songs and music in the house.
Being a supporter French Revolution, Giuseppe Rossini joyfully welcomed the entry of revolutionary units into Italian territory in 1796. The restoration of the power of the Pope was marked by the arrest of the head of the Rossini family.
Having lost his job, Giuseppe and his wife were forced to become traveling musicians. Rossini's father was a horn player in orchestras that performed in fair performances, and his mother performed opera arias. The beautiful soprano of Gioacchino, who sang in church choirs, also brought income to the family. The boy's voice was highly valued by the choirmasters of Lugo and Bologna. In the last of these cities, famous for its musical traditions, the Rossini family found shelter.
In 1804, at the age of 12, Gioacchino began to study music professionally. Became his teacher church composer Angelo Thesei, under whose guidance the boy quickly mastered the rules of counterpoint, as well as the art of accompaniment and singing. A year later, young Rossini set off on a journey through the cities of Romagna as a bandmaster.
Realizing the incompleteness of his music education, Gioachino decided to continue it at the Bologna Musical Lyceum, where he was enrolled as a student in the cello class. Classes in counterpoint and composition were supplemented by independent study of scores and manuscripts from the rich Lyceum library.
His passion for the work of such famous musical figures as Cimarosa, Haydn and Mozart had a special influence on Rossini’s development as a musician and composer. While still a student at the Lyceum, he became a member of the Bologna Academy, and after graduation, in recognition of his talent, he received an invitation to conduct a performance of Haydn’s oratorio “The Seasons.”
Gioachino Rossini showed an amazing ability to work early; he quickly coped with any creative task, displaying the wonders of an amazing compositional technique. During the years of study they wrote large number musical works, among which are spiritual works, symphonies, instrumental music And vocal works, as well as excerpts from the opera “Demetrio and Polibio”, Rossini’s first composition in this genre.
The year he graduated from the musical lyceum was marked by the beginning of Rossini’s simultaneous activities as a singer, conductor and opera composer.
The period from 1810 to 1815 was marked in the life of the famous composer as “vagrant”; during this time Rossini wandered from one city to another, not staying anywhere for more than two to three months.
The fact is that in Italy of the 18th - 19th centuries, permanent opera houses existed only in large cities - such as Milan, Venice and Naples; small towns had to be content with the art of traveling theater troupes, usually consisting of a prima donna, a tenor, a bass and several singers on the sidelines. The orchestra was recruited from local music lovers, military personnel and traveling musicians.
The maestro (composer), hired by the impresario of the troupe, wrote music to the provided libretto, and the performance was staged, while the maestro himself had to conduct the opera. If the production was successful, the work was performed for 20–30 days, after which the troupe disbanded and the artists scattered to cities.
Within five many years Gioachino Rossini wrote operas for traveling theaters and artists. Close collaboration with performers contributed to the development of great compositional flexibility; it was necessary to take into account the vocal abilities of each singer, the tessitura and timbre of his voice, artistic temperament and much more.
The admiration of the public and penny fees - this is what Rossini received as a reward for his work as a composer. In his early works Some haste and negligence were noted, which caused severe criticism. Thus, the composer Paisiello, who saw Gioachino Rossini as a formidable rival, spoke of him as “a dissolute composer, little versed in the rules of art and devoid of good taste.”
Criticism did not bother the young composer, since he was well aware of the shortcomings of his works; in some scores he even noted so-called grammatical errors with the words “to satisfy pedants.”
In the first years of independent creative activity Rossini worked on writing mainly comic operas, which had strong roots in musical culture Italy. The genre of serious opera occupied an important place in his further work.
Unprecedented success came to Rossini in 1813, after productions in Venice of the works “Tancred” (opera seria) and “The Italian in Algiers” (opera buffa). The doors of the best theaters in Milan, Venice and Rome opened before him, arias from his compositions were sung at carnivals, city squares and streets.
Gioachino Rossini became one of the most popular composers in Italy. Memorable melodies, filled with irrepressible temperament, fun, heroic pathos and love lyrics, made an unforgettable impression on the entire Italian society, be it aristocratic circles or the society of artisans.
The composer’s patriotic ideas, sounding in many of his works of a later period, also found a response. Thus, a patriotic theme unexpectedly wedges itself into the typically buffoonish plot of “Italian Woman in Algeria” with fights, scenes of disguises and lovers getting into trouble.
The main character of the opera, Isabella, addresses her beloved Lindor, who is languishing in captivity of the Algerian Bey Mustafa, with the words: “Think about your homeland, be undaunted and do your duty. Look: sublime examples of valor and dignity are being revived throughout Italy.” This aria reflected the patriotic feelings of the era.
In 1815, Rossini moved to Naples, where he was offered a position as a composer at the Teatro San Carlo, which promised a number of profitable prospects, such as high fees and work with famous performers. The move to Naples marked the end of the period of “vagrancy” for the young Gioachino.
From 1815 to 1822, Rossini worked in one of the best theaters in Italy, at the same time he toured the country and carried out orders for other cities. On the stage of the Neapolitan theater, the young composer made his debut with the opera seria “Elizabeth, Queen of England,” which was a new word in traditional Italian opera.
Since ancient times, the aria as a form of solo singing has been the musical core of such works; the composer was faced with the task of outlining only the musical lines of the opera and highlighting the main melodic contour in the vocal parts.
The success of the work in this case depended only on the improvisational talent and taste of the virtuoso performer. Rossini departed from a long-standing tradition: violating the rights of the singer, he wrote out all the coloraturas, virtuoso passages and embellishments of the aria in the score. Soon this innovation entered the work of other Italian composers.
The Neapolitan period contributed to the improvement of Rossini's musical genius and the composer's transition from the light genre of comedy to more serious music.
The situation of growing social upsurge, which was resolved by the Carbonari uprising in 1820–1821, required more significant and heroic images, rather than frivolous characters in comedic works. Thus, the opera seria had more opportunities to express new trends, sensitively perceived by Gioachino Rossini.
For a number of years, the main object of creativity outstanding composer was a serious opera. Rossini sought to change the musical and plot standards of traditional opera seria, defined back in early XVIII centuries. He tried to introduce significant content and drama into this style, to expand connections with real life and the ideas of his time, in addition, the composer gave the serious opera activity and dynamics borrowed from the buffa opera.
The time spent working in the Neapolitan theater turned out to be very significant in its achievements and results. During this period, such works as “Tancred”, “Othello” (1816) were written, which reflected Rossini’s attraction to high drama, as well as monumental heroic works “Moses in Egypt” (1818) and “Mohammed II” (1820) .
The romantic trends developing in Italian music required new artistic images and means of musical expression. Rossini's opera “The Lady of the Lake” (1819) reflected such features of the romantic style in music as picturesque descriptions and the transmission of lyrical experiences.
The best works of Gioachino Rossini are rightfully considered “The Barber of Seville,” created in 1816 for production in Rome during the carnival holidays and the result of the composer’s many years of work on a comic opera, and the heroic-romantic work “William Tell.”
“The Barber of Seville” preserves all the most vital and vibrant elements of opera buffa: the democratic traditions of the genre and national elements are enriched in this work, permeated through and through with intelligent, biting irony, sincere fun and optimism, and a realistic depiction of the surrounding reality.
The first production of “The Barber of Seville,” written in just 19 or 20 days, was unsuccessful, but already at the second showing the audience enthusiastically greeted the famous composer, and there was even a torchlight procession in honor of Rossini.
The opera libretto, consisting of two acts and four scenes, is based on the plot of the work of the same name by the famous French playwright Beaumarchais. The location of the events unfolding on the stage is Spanish Seville, the main characters are Count Almaviva, his beloved Rosina, the barber, doctor and musician Figaro, Doctor Bartolo, Rosina's guardian and the monk Don Basilio, Bartolo's confidant of secret affairs.
In the first scene of the first act, the loving Count Almaviva wanders near the house of Doctor Bartolo, where his beloved lives. His lyrical aria is heard by Rosina’s cunning guardian, who himself has designs on his ward. The “master of all sorts” Figaro, inspired by the promises of the count, comes to the aid of the lovers.
The action of the second picture takes place in Bartolo’s house, in the room of Rosina, who dreams of sending a letter to her admirer Lindor (Count Almaviva is hiding under this name). At this time, Figaro appears and offers his services, but the unexpected arrival of his guardian forces him to hide. Figaro learns about the insidious plans of Bartolo and Don Basilio and hurries to warn Rosina about this.
Soon Almaviva bursts into the house under the guise of a drunken soldier, and Bartolo tries to push him out the door. In this turmoil, the Count manages to quietly pass a note to his beloved and inform her that Lindor is him. Figaro is also here, together with Bartolo’s servants he is trying to separate the owner of the house from Almaviva.
Everyone falls silent only with the arrival of a team of soldiers. The officer gives the order to arrest the count, but the paper presented with a majestic gesture instantly changes his behavior. The government representative bows respectfully before the disguised Almaviva, causing bewilderment among everyone present.
The second act takes place in Bartolo’s room, where the loving count comes, disguised as a monk, posing as the singing teacher Don Alonzo. To gain Dr. Bartolo's trust, Almaviva gives him Rosina's note. The girl, recognizing her Lindor in the monk, willingly begins her studies, but the presence of Bartolo interferes with the lovers.
At this time, Figaro arrives and offers the old man a shave. By cunning, the barber manages to take possession of the key to Rosina's balcony. The arrival of Don Basilio threatens to ruin the well-performed performance, but he is “removed” from the stage in time. The lesson resumes, Figaro continues the shaving procedure, trying to shield the lovers from Bartolo, but the deception is revealed. Almaviva and the barber are forced to flee.
Bartolo, taking advantage of Rosina's note, carelessly given to him by the count, persuades the disappointed girl to sign marriage contract. Rosina reveals to her guardian the secret of her impending escape, and he goes after the guards.
At this time, Almaviva and Figaro enter the girl’s room. The Count asks Rosina to become his wife and receives consent. The lovers want to leave the house as soon as possible, but an unexpected obstacle arises in the form of a lack of stairs near the balcony and the arrival of Don Basilio with a notary.
The appearance of Figaro, who declared Rosina his niece and Count Almaviva her fiancé, saves the situation. Doctor Bartolo, who came with guards, finds the ward’s marriage already accomplished. In an impotent rage, he attacks the “traitor” Basilio and the “scoundrel” Figaro, but Almaviva’s generosity wins him over, and he joins the general chorus of welcome.
The libretto of “The Barber of Seville” differs significantly from the original source: here the social acuity and satirical orientation of Beaumarchais’s comedy turned out to be greatly softened. For Rossini, Count Almaviva - lyrical character, and not an empty rake-aristocrat. His sincere feelings and desire for happiness triumph over the selfish plans of his guardian Bartolo.
Figaro appears as a cheerful, dexterous and enterprising person, in whose role there is not even a hint of moralizing or philosophizing. Figaro's life credo is laughter and jokes. These two characters are contrasted negative heroes- to the stingy old man Bartolo and the hypocritical bigot Don Basilio.
Cheerful, sincere, infectious laughter is the main weapon of Gioachino Rossini, who in his musical comedies and farsakh relies on traditional images opera buffa - a loving guardian, a clever servant, a pretty pupil and a cunning monk.
Animating these masks with features of realism, the composer gives them the appearance of people, as if snatched from reality. It happened that the action depicted on stage or character were associated by the public with a certain event, incident or specific person.
Thus, The Barber of Seville is realistic comedy, the realism of which is manifested not only in the plot and dramatic situations, but also in generalized human characters, in the composer’s ability to typify the phenomena of contemporary life.
The overture, which precedes the events of the opera, sets the tone for the entire work. It immerses you in an atmosphere of fun and casual jokes. Subsequently, the mood created by the overture is concretized in a certain fragment of the comedy.
Despite the fact that this musical introduction was repeatedly used by Rossini in other works, it is perceived as an integral part of The Barber of Seville. Each theme of the overture is based on a new melodic basis, and the connecting parts create continuity of transitions and give the overture organic integrity.
The fascination of the operatic action of “The Barber of Seville” depends on the variety of Rossini used compositional techniques: introduction, the effect of which is the result of a combination of stage and musical action; alternating recitatives and dialogues with solo arias characterizing a particular character, and duets; ensemble scenes with a through line of development, designed to mix various plot threads and maintain intense interest in the further development of events; orchestral parts supporting the rapid tempo of the opera.
The source of the melody and rhythm of “The Barber of Seville” by Gioachino Rossini is the bright, temperamental Italian music. In the score of this work one can hear everyday song and dance turns and rhythms that form the basis of this musical comedy.
Created after “The Barber of Seville,” the works “Cinderella” and “The Magpie is a Thief” are far from the usual comedy genre. The composer pays more attention to lyrical characteristics and dramatic situations. However, with all his desire for something new, Rossini could not completely overcome the conventions of serious opera.
In 1822, together with a troupe of Italian artists famous composer went on a two-year tour of the capitals of European countries. Fame walked ahead of the famous maestro, a luxurious reception, huge fees and best theaters and performers of the world.
In 1824, Rossini became the head of the Italian opera house in Paris and in this post did a lot to promote Italian opera music. In addition, the famous maestro patronized young Italian composers and musicians.
During the Parisian period, Rossini wrote a number of works for French opera, and many old works were revised. Thus, the opera “Mahomet II” in the French edition was called “The Siege of Coronf” and enjoyed success in Parisian scene. The composer managed to make his works more realistic and dramatic, to achieve simplicity and naturalness of musical speech.
The influence of the French operatic tradition was manifested in a more strict interpretation of the operatic plot, a shift in emphasis from lyrical to heroic scenes, a simplification of vocal style, giving greater importance to crowd scenes, chorus and ensemble, as well as careful attention to the opera orchestra.
All the works of the Parisian period were a preparatory stage towards the creation of the heroic-romantic opera “William Tell”, in which the solo arias of traditional Italian operas were replaced by mass choral scenes.
The libretto of this work, which tells the story of the national liberation war of the Swiss cantons against the Austrians, fully met the patriotic sentiments of Gioachino Rossini and the demands of the progressive public on the eve of the revolutionary events of 1830.
The composer worked on William Tell for several months. The premiere, which took place in the fall of 1829, aroused rave reviews from the public, but this opera did not receive much recognition or popularity. Outside France, the production of William Tell was taboo.
Paintings folk life and the traditions of the Swiss served only as a background for depicting the anger and indignation of the oppressed people, the finale of the work - the uprising of the masses against foreign enslavers - reflected the feelings of the era.
The most famous fragment of the opera "William Tell" was the overture, remarkable for its colorfulness and skill - an expression of the multifaceted composition of the entire musical work.
The artistic principles used by Rossini in William Tell found application in the works of many figures of French and Italian opera of the 19th century. And in Switzerland they even wanted to erect a monument to the famous composer, whose work contributed to the intensification of the national liberation struggle of the Swiss people.
The opera William Tell was the last work of Gioachino Rossini, who at the age of 40 suddenly stopped writing opera music and began organizing concerts and performances. In 1836, the famous composer returned to Italy, where he lived until the mid-1850s. Rossini provided all possible assistance to the Italian rebels and even wrote the national anthem in 1848.
However, a serious nervous illness forced Rossini to move to Paris, where he spent the rest of his life. His house became one of the centers artistic life French capital, many world famous Italian and French singers, composers and pianists.
Leaving operatic creativity did not weaken Rossini’s fame, which came to him in his youth and did not leave him even after death. From what was created in the second half of life special attention collections of romances and duets deserve " Musical evenings", as well as sacred music "Stabat mater".
Gioachino Rossini died in Paris in 1868, at the age of 76. A few years later, his ashes were sent to Florence and buried in the pantheon of the Church of Santa Croce - a kind of tomb of the best representatives of Italian culture.
