Gioacchino Rossini

Jeremy Tambling (University of Hong Kong)
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Gioacchino Rossini (1792-1868), though perhaps only now popularly known for

Il Barbiere di Siviglia

, was the most important opera-composer of his generation, composer of 39 operas in 19 years, and perhaps the most decisive for Italian opera in bringing together its two distinctive eighteenth century forms,

opera seria

and

opera buffa

, and then for bringing both into relation with French opera. He was born in Pesaro, on the Adriatic, to professional musicians. He began writing operas professionally in 1810, making his reputation in Venice, with his tenth opera,

Tancredi

(1813) which also made his name outside Italy. Alongside this

melodramma eroico

from a play by Voltaire based loosely on Tasso's

Gerusalemme Liberata

(it is alluded to in Byron's

Don Juan

, it is being sung in Balzac's

2047 words

Citation: Tambling, Jeremy. "Gioacchino Rossini". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 21 March 2002 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=5130, accessed 19 March 2024.]

5130 Gioacchino Rossini 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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