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Gioacchino Rossini

Rossini was born in Pesaro, in the Marche, in 1792, into a musical family. The father of the future composer was a French horn player, and his mother was a singer.

Soon, musical talent was discovered in the child, after which he was sent off to develop his voice. They sent him to Bologna, to Angelo Thesei. There he also began to learn to play on.

In addition, the famous tenor Mateo Babbini gave him several lessons. Later he became a student of Abbot Matei. He taught him only the knowledge of a 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 the general public. She liked them, and she liked them so much that Rossini was literally overwhelmed 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.

Most of all, the public liked his "The Barber of Seville". It is believed that this opera is not only Rossini's most ingenious creation, but also the best work in the opera-buff genre. Rossini, on the other hand, 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 perceived rather coldly. Upset, Gioacchino refused to conduct his opera for the second time, and it was 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 further. He soon signed a contract with Domenico Barbaia, to whom he pledged 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 the same time, Rossini married the singer Isabella Colbrand. In 1823 he went to London. The director of His Majesty's Theater invited him there. There, in about five months, together with lessons and concerts, he earns about 10,000 pounds sterling.

He soon settled in Paris, and for a long time. There he became director of the Italian Theater in Paris.

At the same time, Rossini did not possess organizational skills at all. As a result, the theater found itself in a very dire 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 French and in 1829 wrote "William Tell", his last stage work.

Completion of a creative career and the last years of life

Soon, in 1836, he had to return to Italy. At first he lived in Milan, then moved and lived in his villa near Bologna.

In 1847, his first wife died, and then, two years later, he married Olympia Pelissier.

For a while, he revived again due to the enormous success of his last 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 house 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 February 29, 1792 in Pesaro in the family of a city trumpeter (herald) and a singer. Very early he fell in love with music, especially singing, but he began to study seriously only at the age of 14, having entered the Lyceum of Music in Bologna. There he studied cello and counterpoint until 1810, when Rossini's first notable work 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, among which 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 immortalize his name: Tancred (Tancredi) by Tasso and then a two-act opera buffa Italian in Algeria (L "italiana in Algeri), which was triumphantly adopted 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 Turk in Italy, Il Turco in Italia, 1814) - a kind of "couple" for the opera Italian in Algeria) was not successful. In 1815 Rossini was again lucky, this time in Naples, where he signed a contract with the impresario of the Teatro San Carlo. It's about the opera Elizabeth, Queen of England (Elisabetta, regina d "Inghilterra), a virtuoso composition written especially for Isabella Colbrand, the Spanish prima donna (soprano) who enjoyed the favor of the Neapolitan court and the impresario's mistress (a few years later, Isabella became Rossini's wife). Then the composer went to Rome, where he was going to write and stage several operas. The second of them was the opera Barber of seville (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), first staged on February 20, 1816. The failure of the opera at the premiere was as loud as its future triumph.

Returning, in accordance with the terms of the contract, to Naples, Rossini staged there in December 1816 the opera, which, perhaps, was most highly appreciated by his contemporaries - Othello according to Shakespeare: there are really beautiful fragments in it, but the work is spoiled by the libretto, which distorted Shakespeare's tragedy. Rossini composed the next opera again for Rome: his Cinderella (La cenerentola, 1817) was subsequently favorably received by the public; the prime minister, on the other hand, did not give any grounds for assumptions about future success. However, Rossini survived the failure much more calmly. In the same 1817 he traveled to Milan to stage an opera Thief Magpie (La gazza ladra) - an exquisitely 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 estimated to be much higher than Thief Magpie: when resurrected Armids in our time, you can still feel the tenderness, if not the sensuality that this music exudes.

Over the next four years, Rossini contrived to compose a dozen more operas, mostly not particularly interesting. However, before the termination of his contract with Naples, he donated two outstanding works to the city. In 1818 he wrote an opera Moses in Egypt (Mosé in Egitto), which soon conquered Europe; in fact, it is a kind of oratorio, with magnificent choirs and the famous Prayer. In 1819 Rossini presented Virgin of the lake (La donna del lago), which had a somewhat more modest success, but contained charming romantic music. When the composer finally left Naples (1820), he took Isabella Colbrand with him and married her, but later their family life was not very happy.

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 Teatro San Carlo, who now became the director of the Vienna Opera. The composer brought his last work to Vienna - an opera Zelmira (Zelmira), which won the author unprecedented success. True, some musicians, headed by K.M. von Weber, sharply criticized Rossini, but others, including F. Schubert, gave favorable assessments. As for the society, it unconditionally sided with Rossini. 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 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 has now remained in the concert repertoire. Howbeit, Semiramis can be recognized as 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 Rossini's reputation as the greatest opera composer of the era was no longer subject to any doubts. No wonder Stendhal compared Rossini's triumph in the field of music with Napoleon's victory at 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 greeted by King George VI, with whom he sang duets; Rossini was snapped up in high society as a singer and accompanist. The most important event of that time was the receipt of an invitation to Paris as artistic director of the Teatro Italien opera house. 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 for a musician that could be imagined.

Rossini took up his new duties on December 1, 1824. Apparently, he was able to improve the management of the Italian opera, especially in terms of conducting performances. The performances of two previously written operas were performed with great success, which Rossini radically reworked for Paris, and most importantly, he composed a charming comic opera Count Ori (Le comte ory). (It was, as one might expect, a huge success when it was relaunched in 1959.) Rossini's next work, appearing in August 1829, was opera Wilhelm Tell (Guillaume tell), a piece that is usually considered the greatest achievement of the composer. Recognized as an absolute masterpiece by performers and critics alike, this opera has never generated such enthusiasm from the public as Barber of seville, Semiramis or even Moses: ordinary listeners considered Tell 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 day has the opportunity to make his own judgment about it. We only note that all Rossini's operas created in France are written in French librettos.

After Wilhelm Tell Rossini did not write another opera, and in the next four decades created only two significant compositions in other genres. Needless to say, such a cessation of composing activity at the very zenith of mastery 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 offense that the French government had inflicted on Rossini when it attempted, after the revolution in 1830, to terminate the composer's contract. Mentioned and the deterioration of the musician's well-being and even his supposedly incredible laziness. It is possible that all the factors mentioned, except for the last one, played a role. It should be noted that when leaving Paris after Wilhelm Tell Rossini was determined to start a new opera ( Faust). It is also known that he went on and won a six-year lawsuit against the French government over his pension. As for the state of health, after experiencing the shock of the death of his beloved mother in 1827, Rossini really felt unwell, at first not very strong, but later progressed at an alarming rate. Everything else is more or less plausible speculation.

During the next Tell For decades Rossini, although he retained an apartment in Paris, lived mainly in Bologna, where he hoped to find the peace he needed after the nervous tension of 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 nevertheless, it was Bologna (not counting the regular trips to Paris in connection with the lawsuit) that remained the composer's permanent residence. It can be assumed that it was not only court cases that he was summoned 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 leave, and Rossini married Olympia, who became a good wife for the ailing Rossini. Finally, in 1855, after a scandal in Bologna and frustration with Florence, Olympia convinced her husband to hire a carriage (he did not recognize trains) and go to Paris. Very slowly, his physical and mental condition began to improve; a share of if not gaiety, then wit, returned to him; music, which had been a taboo topic for many years, began to spring back to his mind. April 15, 1857 - the name day of Olympia - became a kind of turning point: on this day, Rossini dedicated to his wife a cycle of romances that he composed in secret. This was followed by a series of small plays - Rossini called them The sins of my old age; the quality of this music requires no comments for fans Magic shop (La boutique fantasque) - a ballet for which the plays served as the basis. Finally, in 1863, Rossini's last - and truly significant - work 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 13 November 1868 and was buried in Paris at the Pere Lachaise cemetery. 19 years later, 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.

Joakkino Rossini (Joakkino Rossini) was born on February 29, 1792 in Pesaro in the family of a city trumpeter (herald) and singer.

He very early fell in love with music, especially singing, but he began to study seriously only at the age of 14, having entered the Lyceum of Music in Bologna. There he studied cello and counterpoint until 1810, when Rossini's first noteworthy work, the one-act farce opera A Promissory Note (La cambiale di matrimonio, 1810), was staged in Venice.

It was followed by a number of operas of the same type, among which two - "Touchstone" (La pietra del paragone, 1812) and "Silk Stairs" (La scala di seta, 1812) - are still popular.

In 1813, Rossini composed two operas that immortalized his name: "Tancredi" by Tasso and then the two-act opera-buffa "Italiana in Algeri" (L "italiana in Algeri), which was 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 "Turok" in Italy (Il Turco in Italia, 1814), which retained its charm - a kind of "pair" to the opera "Italian Woman in Algeria") had success.

In 1815, Rossini had another good fortune, this time in Naples, where he signed a contract with the impresario of the Teatro San Carlo.

This is the opera "Elizabeth, Queen of England" (Elisabetta, regina d "Inghilterra), a virtuoso work written especially for Isabella Colbrand, the Spanish prima donna (soprano) who enjoyed the favor of the Neapolitan court (a few years later, Isabella became Rossini's wife).

Then the composer went to Rome, where he was going to write and stage several operas.

The second of them - in time of writing - was the opera "The Barber of Seville" (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), first staged on February 20, 1816. The failure of the opera at the premiere was as loud as its future triumph.

Returning, in accordance with the terms of the contract, to Naples, Rossini staged there in December 1816 the opera that was perhaps most highly appreciated by his contemporaries, Othello by Shakespeare. There are really beautiful fragments in it, but the work is spoiled by the libretto, which distorted the tragedy of Shakespeare.

Rossini composed the next opera again for Rome. His "Cinderella" (La cenerentola, 1817) was subsequently well received by the public, but the premiere did not give any grounds for speculation about future success. However, Rossini survived this failure much more calmly.

In the same 1817 he traveled to Milan to stage the opera La gazza ladra, an exquisitely orchestrated melodrama, now almost forgotten, except for the magnificent overture to it.

Upon his return to Naples, Rossini staged the opera Armida at the end of the year, which was warmly received and is still rated much higher than The Thief Magpie.

Over the next four years, Rossini composed a dozen more operas, mostly not particularly well-known at the present time.

At the same time, before the termination of the contract with Naples, he donated two outstanding works to the city. In 1818 he wrote the opera "Moses in Egypt" (Mos in Egitto), which soon conquered Europe.

In 1819, Rossini presented La donna del lago, which was a more modest success.

In 1822, Rossini, accompanied by his wife, Isabella Colbrand, left Italy for the first time: he entered into a contract with his old friend, the impresario of the Teatro San Carlo, who now became the director of the Vienna Opera.

The composer brought to Vienna his last work - the opera Zelmira, which won the author unprecedented success. Although some musicians, headed by K.M. von Weber, sharply criticized Rossini, others, among them F. Schubert, gave favorable assessments. As for the society, it unconditionally sided with Rossini.

The most notable event of Rossini's trip to Vienna was his meeting with Beethoven.

In the autumn of the same year, the composer was summoned to Verona by Prince Metternich: Rossini was to honor the conclusion of the Holy Alliance with cantatas.

In February 1823 he composed a new opera for Venice - Semiramida, of which only the overture has now remained in the concert repertoire. "Semiramis" can be recognized as the culmination of the Italian period in Rossini's work, if only because it was the last opera he composed for Italy. Moreover, this opera was performed with such brilliance in other countries that after it Rossini's reputation as the greatest opera composer of the era was no longer subject to any doubts. No wonder Stendhal compared Rossini's triumph in the field of music with Napoleon's victory at the Battle of Austerlitz.

At the end of 1823, Rossini ended up in London (where he stayed for six months), and before that he spent a month in Paris. The composer was hospitably greeted by King George VI, with whom he sang duets, Rossini was snapped up in high society as a singer and accompanist.

The most important event of that time was the composer's invitation to Paris as artistic director of the Teatro Italien opera house. The significance of this contract is that it determined the composer's place of residence until the end of his days. In addition, he confirmed Rossini's absolute superiority as an opera composer. (It must be remembered that Paris was then the center of the "musical universe"; an invitation to Paris was a very high honor for a musician).

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 very successful. Most importantly, he composed the comic opera Le comte Ory, which, as one might expect, was a huge success.

Rossini's next work, appearing in August 1829, was the opera "William Tell" (Guillaume Tell), which is considered the greatest achievement of the composer.

Recognized as an absolute masterpiece by performers and critics, this opera nevertheless never aroused such enthusiasm among the public as The Barber of Seville, Semiramis or Moses: ordinary listeners considered Tell to be an opera too long and cold. However, it cannot be denied that the opera contains the finest music, and fortunately, it has not completely disappeared from the modern world repertoire. All of Rossini's operas created in France are written in French librettos.

After William Tell, Rossini did not write another opera, and in the next four decades created only two significant compositions in other genres. Such a cessation of composing activity at the very zenith of skill and fame is a unique phenomenon in the history of world musical culture.

During the decade following Tell, Rossini, although retaining an apartment in Paris, lived mainly in Bologna, where he hoped to find the peace he needed after the nervous tension of previous years.

True, in 1831 he went to Madrid, where the now widely known "Stabat Mater" (in the first edition) appeared, and in 1836 - to Frankfurt, where he met F. Mendelssohn, thanks to whom he discovered the work of I.S. Bach.

It can be assumed that the composer was summoned to Paris not only by court cases. In 1832 Rossini met Olympia Pelissier. Since Rossini's relationship with his wife had long left much to be desired, in the end, the couple decided to leave, and Rossini married Olympia, who became a good wife for the ailing composer.

In 1855, Olympia convinced her husband to hire a carriage (he did not recognize trains) and go to Paris. Very slowly, his physical and mental state began to improve, the composer regained some optimism. Music, which had been a taboo topic for years, began to spring back to his mind.

April 15, 1857 - the name day of Olympia - became a kind of turning point: on this day, Rossini dedicated to his wife a cycle of romances, which he composed in secret. This was followed by a number of small plays - Rossini called them "The Sins of My Old Age". This music became the basis for the ballet La boutique fantasque.

In 1863, Rossini's last work, Petite messe solennelle, was published. This Mass, in essence, is not very solemn and not at all small, but beautiful in music and imbued with deep sincerity.

19 years later, 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.

Portrait of Rossini

Gioachino Rossini

Gioacchino Antonio Rossini(Italian. Gioachino Antonio Rossini; February 29, Pesaro, Italy - November 13, Ruelly, France) - Italian composer, author of 39 operas, sacred and chamber music.

Biography

Rossini's father was a French horn player, his mother was a singer; the boy grew up from an early age in a musical environment and, as soon as his musical talent was discovered, he was sent to develop his voice to Angelo Thesei in Bologna. In 1807, Rossini entered the Abbot Mattei's apprentice in composition at the Liceo filarmonico in Bologna, but interrupted his studies as soon as he completed a course of simple counterpoint, since, according to Mattei, knowledge of the latter was sufficient to be able to write operas.

Rossini's first experience was a 1-act opera: La cambiale di matrimonio (Marriage bill) (1810 at the Teatro San Mose in Venice), which received little attention, as did the second: L equivoco stravagante ( "A Strange Case") (Bologna 1811); however, they liked them so much that Rossini was overwhelmed with work, and by 1812 he had already written 5 operas. The next year, after his "Tancred" was staged at the Teatro Fenice in Venice, The Italians had already decided that Rossini was the greatest living operatic composer in Italy, an opinion that was reinforced by the opera Italian Woman in Algeria.

But Rossini's greatest triumph came in 1816 with the production of the Barber of Seville on the stage of the Argentina Theater in Rome; In Rome, The Barber of Seville was greeted with great distrust, since they considered it impudent that anyone would dare to write, after Paisiello, an opera on the same plot; Rossini's opera was received even coldly at the first performance; the second performance, which the frustrated Rossini himself did not conduct, on the contrary, had an intoxicating success: the audience even staged a torchlight procession.

In the same year followed in Naples "Othello", in which Rossini for the first time completely expelled recitativo secco, then "Cinderella" in Rome and "Forty-thief" 1817 in Milan. In 1815-23, Rossini signed a contract with the theatrical entrepreneur Barbaya, according to which he was obliged to deliver 2 new operas every year for an annual fee of 12,000 lire (4450 rubles); At that time, Barbaya had in her hands not only the Neapolitan theaters, but also the Scala Theater in Milan and the Italian Opera in Vienna.

The first wife of the composer dies in the year. In Rossini he marries Olympia Pelissier. In the city he settled again in Paris, making his home one of the most fashionable music salons.

Rossini died on November 13, 1868 in the town of Passy, ​​near Paris. In 1887, the composer's remains were transported to Florence.

Rossini's name is given to the conservatory in his hometown, created according to his will.

Opera

• "Marriage Bill" (La Cambiale di Matrimonio) - 1810
• "Strange Case" (L'equivoco stravagante) - 1811
• Demetrio e Polibio - 1812
• L'inganno felice - 1812
• "Cyrus in Babylon, or the Fall of Belshazzar" (Ciro in Babilonia (La caduta di Baldassare)) - 1812
• The Silk Staircase (La scala di seta) - 1812
• "Touchstone" (La pietra del paragone) - 1812
• "Chance makes a thief" (L'occasione fa il ladro (Il cambio della valigia)) - 1812
• "Signor Bruschino" (or Il figlio per azzardo) - 1813
• Tancredi - 1813
• L'Italiana in Algeri - 1813
• Aureliano in Palmira - 1813
• "Turk in Italy" (Il Turco in Italia) - 1814
• Sigismondo - 1814
• "Elizabeth of England" (Elisabetta regina d'Inghilterra) - 1815
• Torvaldo e Dorliska - 1815
• Almaviva (ossia L'inutile precauzione (Il Barbiere di Siviglia)) - 1816
• "Newspaper" (La gazzetta (Il matrimonio per concorso)) - 1816
• Otello, or the Venetian Moor (Otello o Il moro di Venezia) - 1816
• Cinderella, or the Triumph of Virtue (La Cenerentola o sia La bontà in trionfo) - 1817
• The Thief Magpie (La gazza ladra) - 1817
• Armida - 1817
• "Adelaide of Burgundy, or Otto, King of Italy" (Adelaide di Borgogna or Ottone, re d'Italia) - 1817
• "Moses in Egypt" (Mosè in Egitto) - 1818
• Adina or Il califfo di Bagdad - 1818
• Ricciardo e Zoraide - 1818
• Ermione - 1819
• Eduardo e Cristina - 1819
• "Virgin of the Lake" (La donna del lago) - 1819
• "Bianca and Falliero" ("Council of Three") (Bianca e Falliero (Il consiglio dei tre)) - 1819
• Maometto secondo - 1820
• Matilde di Shabran, or Bellezza e Cuor di Ferro - 1821
• Zelmira - 1822
• Semiramide - 1823
• "Journey to Reims, or the Hotel" Golden Lily "" (Il viaggio a Reims (L'albergo del giglio d'oro)) - 1825
• The Siege of Corinth (Le Siège de Corinthe) - 1826
• "Moses and Pharaoh, or the Passage through the Red Sea" (Moïse et Pharaon (Le passage de la Mer Rouge) - 1827 (revision of "Moses in Egypt")
• "Count Ory" (Le Comte Ory) - 1828
• "William Tell" (Guillaume Tell) - 1829

Other musical works

• Il pianto d'armonia per la morte d'Orfeo
• Petite messe solennelle
• Stabat Mater
• Cats Duet (attr.)
• Bassoon concerto
• Messa di gloria

Notes (edit)

Links

• Summaries (synopsis) of Rossini's operas on the 100 Operas website
• Gioachino Antonio Rossini: Sheet Music at the International Music Score Library Project

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See what "Rossini" is in other dictionaries:

- (Gioachino Rossini) the famous Italian composer (1792 1868), who constituted an era in the history of the development of Italian opera, although many of his operas are now forgotten. In his youth, R. studied at the Vbolonsky Conservatory under Stanislav Matteya and already ... ... Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron

Gioachino Antonio Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini Composer Date of birth: February 29, 1792 ... Wikipedia

- (Rossini) Gioacchino Antonio (29 II 1792, Pesaro 13 XI 1868, Passy, ​​near Paris) Italian. composer. His father, a man of advanced, republican convictions, was a mountain musician. spirit. orchestra, mother singer. Learned to play the spinet ... ... Musical encyclopedia

- (Rossini) Gioacchino Antonio, Italian composer. Born into a family of musicians (father is a trumpeter and horn player, mother is a singer). From childhood he studied singing, ... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

- (Gioachino Rossini) the famous Italian composer (1792 1868), who constituted an era in the history of the development of Italian opera, although many of his operas are now forgotten. In his youth, R. studied at the Bologna Conservatory under Stanislav Mattei and ... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary of F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron

ROSSINI- (Gioacchino Antonio R. (1792 1868) Italian composer; see also PESARSKY) Now and foam Rossini I drink again in a new way And I see only through love, That the heavens are so childishly blue. Kuz915 (192) ... Proper name in Russian poetry of the 20th century: a dictionary of personal names

Gioacchino Rossini is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers in history. His famous opera "The Barber of Seville" is probably remembered by every person familiar with music. This article will tell you in detail about the life of Gioacchino Rossini, as well as about his most famous musical works.

Rossini's childhood

A wide variety of books and publications have been written about Rossini. The most common among them is Elena Bronfin's 1973 biographical work. This book describes in detail all those events that, in one way or another, were associated with the life and work of the composer Rossini. Elena Bronfin describes in detail the childhood years of little Gioacchino, tracing his path to the creative top.

Gioacchino Antonio Rossini was born on February 29, 1792 in the small Italian town of Pesaro. Gioacchino's parents were musicians. My father played wind instruments, and my mother had a beautiful voice with an expressive soprano. Naturally, the parents tried to make little Joachino fall in love with the music.

Joachino's carefree childhood was marred by the French Revolution. In addition, the future composer himself, according to many sources, was a very lazy and even naughty little boy. Parents saved the day in time by sending Gioacchino to study with a local pastor. It was the priest who taught Rossini all the necessary lessons in composition.

The first creative endeavors of young Gioacchino

In the early 19th century, the Rossini family moved to Lugo. It was in this city that young Gioacchino gave his first opera concert. Possessing a very high treble, the future great composer aroused great public interest.

Some sources indicate that Rossini began to release his first works as a composer by the age of 12. In those small sonatas, written by the very young Gioacchino, one can trace very competent inclusions of operatic tendencies.

The friendship with the famous Italian tenor Mombelli was of great importance for the future creative manifestations of Gioacchino. Together they wrote musical numbers, composed librettos and developed theatrical performances. In 1808, the composer Rossini wrote a whole mass. It was a male choir, accompanied by bright accompaniment of organ and orchestra.

About the early creative period

In 1810, the fate of Gioacchino changed dramatically: he was noticed by two famous Italian musicians at that time: Moranli and Morolli. The couple wrote a letter to Rossini expressing their desire to see young Gioacchino in Venice. The aspiring composer immediately agreed. Gioacchino's task was to write the musical theme for the theatrical libretto. The performance was called "The Marriage by Promissory Note". It was this work that became Rossini's brightest debut as a composer.

The main quality that the composer Rossini possessed was the incredible speed and ease of writing music. This was noted by many of the musician's contemporaries: Gioacchino seemed to have known and understood for a long time how this or that composition should be built. At the same time, the musician himself, according to many sources, led a very hectic and idle lifestyle. In Venice, he walked a lot and had fun, but at the same time he always managed to write the necessary order by the deadline.

"The Barber of Seville"

In 1813, the composer Rossini wrote a truly grandiose work that turned his whole life - this is "An Italian in Algeria". Excellent music, deep content of the libretto, vivid patriotic moods, which set the work - all this had the best effect on the future career of the composer.

However, the musician started something more grandiose. A monumental two-act opera that would become a gem of Italian music - that was what Gioacchino Rossini wanted. The Barber of Seville has become such an opera. The work was based on the famous 19th century comedy by Beaumarchais.

The main feature of Gioacchino's work on the work was, again, incredible lightness. The Barber of Seville, written in less than a month, was Rossini's first work to be made famous outside Italy. So, an amazing case happened with Gioacchino in the Austrian Empire: it was there that the composer met Beethoven himself, who spoke positively about the "barber".

Rossini's new ideas

Gioacchino's main specialization was comedy. The composer Rossini composed musical themes specifically for light, comedic librettos. However, in 1817, the musician went beyond the comic genre that was so often associated with the name of Gioacchino Rossini. The opera "The Thief Forty" was one of the composer's first works, which was, rather, somewhat dramatic. The opera Othello, written in 1816, was a Shakespearean tragedy.

Gioacchino acquired more and more ideas and new ideas. The most important milestone in Gioacchino's career was the monumental opera-series called "Moses in Egypt". Rossini worked on this piece for a month and a half. The premiere of "Moses" took place in Naples, where it was a huge success.

The composer Rossini moved further and further from the "light" genres, composing heavier and more monumental works. Such famous historical series as "Mohammed II", "Zelmira", "Semiramis" enjoyed great success both in Italy itself and abroad.

Vienna, London and Paris

The Austrian, English and Parisian periods played a large role in Rossini's life. The reason for sending the composer to Vienna was the deafening success of the opera Zelmira. In Austria, the composer faced massive unfavorable criticism for the first time: many German composers believed that any Rossini's opera did not deserve the success that accompanied Gioacchino in almost all of Europe. However, there was no Beethoven among the haters. Already completely deafened, Ludwig closely followed Rossini's work, reading his music, literally, from music paper. Beethoven took a great interest in Joachino; he spoke extremely flatteringly about almost all of his works.

In 1823, the composer received an invitation to the Royal London Theater. Rossini's opera "Italian in Algeria" and some of his other works were performed here. It was in England that Gioacchino acquired both loyal admirers and fierce enemies. Rossini received even more hatred in Paris: the envious musicians tried in every possible way to discredit the composer. For Rossini, this is a time of intense controversy with critics.

Almost all musical figures of the 19th, 20th or 21st centuries say one thing: Rossini "raised from his knees" an unusually low level of musical creativity in England and France. Inspired by the works of Gioacchino, the musicians finally began to express themselves, providing the world with more and more beauty.

Closer to the creative top

In the late twenties of the 19th century, Rossini agreed to work as director of the Italian Opera House in Paris. However, he did not stay in this position for long: after a couple of years, Rossini's work became widely known throughout Europe, and therefore the composer decided to accept the title of "Inspector General of Singing and Composer His Majesty in France". Gioacchino received an honorary position under the king.

In Paris, Rossini wrote another musical masterpiece called "The Journey to Reims, or the Hotel of the Golden Line". This opera was performed at the coronation of Charles X. However, the work was not successful with the general public.

After Traveling, Rossini began developing the monumental opera Mohammed II. This heroic and tragic work was distinguished by many innovative elements that many critics could not fail to notice. Further, "Moses in Egypt" and "The Siege of Corinth" were written. All these works had a strong influence on young French composers: Aubert, Boaldier, Herold and others.

"Wilhelm Tell"

Rossini, working in two directions of French opera at once - the comic and the tragic, conceived the staging of a large work, completely original and innovative. Something new, unlike any previous work - this is what Gioacchino Rossini was striving for. The works of past years, although considered innovative, but only in places. That is why the composer set about composing an opera about the brave shooter Wilhelm, the hero of an old Swiss legend.

The main feature of the work was the borrowing of elements of the local Swiss flavor: folk tunes combined with Italian classical songs made up an unusually original opera. Not surprisingly, everyone was looking forward to "Wilhelm". The work was in development for about six months. This four-stroke opera premiered in 1828.

The reaction from both the public and the critics was very cold. The work seemed to many to be tedious, complicated and simply boring. In addition, the composition lasted about 4 hours. Almost no one attended the opera. The management of the theater, trying to somehow save the situation, greatly reduced the work and began to present it in a distorted form. Of course, Rossini was not happy with this. He left the theater, promising himself never to continue as a composer.

However, not everyone was outraged by the opera. Many aspiring composers saw something amazing and beautiful in "Wilhelm". Over time, the work nevertheless acquired the status of a masterpiece, one of the cult operas by Gioacchino Rossini.

Biography of the former composer

Gioacchino fell silent at the age of 37. Behind him there were about 40 operas, enormous fame and deafening success. The rapid development of romanticism in Europe also influenced Rossini's departure from art.

After being in oblivion for several years, Gioacchino nevertheless began to rarely write small overtures. However, almost nothing remained of the previous intensity. Having moved to Italy, the composer became interested in teaching. Rossini was in charge of the Bologna Lyceum, of which he himself was a child. It was thanks to Gioacchino that musical education received its rapid and high-quality development.

In 1855, Rossini again decided to return to Paris. It is here that he spends the last 13 years of his life.

Rossini the culinary specialist

What could have captivated Gioacchino Rossini? Overtures, suites and operas are already behind us. The once great composer decided to firmly move away from writing music. True, he broke his promise only a few times. So, in 1863, "Little Solemn Mass" was written - a rather famous work to this day.

Gioacchino was an exquisite culinary specialist. The witty Rossini came up with an incredible amount of a wide variety of dishes. The composer was also a great lover of winemaking. His cellar was simply full of a wide variety of wines, of all types and varieties. However, cooking killed Rossini. The former composer began to suffer from obesity and stomach ailments.

Death of a composer

No one else in Paris was famous for such a celebrity as Gioacchino Rossini. "The Barber of Seville", "William Tell" - the author of all these works, although retired, enjoyed great success in France.

Rossini gave grand receptions. The most famous personalities and politicians sought the opportunity to visit them. Occasionally Rossini conducted while still attracting the attention of the European musical community. Gioacchino's personality was truly great: Wagner, Franz Liszt, Saint-Saens and many other greatest composers of the world communicated with him.

The composer died on November 13, 1868. The composer bequeathed all his property to the Italian town of Pesaro, the place where the musician was born.

Heritage

Gioacchino left behind about 40 major operas and even more overtures with minor compositions. Rossini wrote his first real opera, The Marriage Bill, at the age of 18. One cannot fail to note one more grandiose work created in 1817 - the opera "Cinderella". Gioacchino Rossini wrote a fun and light comedy based on the famous fairy tale. The opera was a great success with both critics and the general public.

In addition to operas, Gioacchino wrote a variety of psalms, masses, cants and hymns. Rossini's legacy is truly great. His inventive and innovative style has been studied by many composers for many years. Rossini's music remains relevant today.