Gioachino Rossini (jan 1, 1792 – jan 1, 1868)

Description:

an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards for both comic and serious opera before retiring from large-scale composition while still in his thirties, at the height of his popularity.

NOTE: he is considered PRE-ROMANTIC!

Rossini
A. Introduction
1. At the same time as Beethoven’s popularity in Vienna peaked, the operas of Rossini
were winning acclaim, and Schubert was writing his most famous lieder.
2. Each of these composers represents the epitome of the genres with which they are most
associated.

The Popularity of Rossini
1. Rossini inherited the legacy of opera after Mozart.
2. His light, effervescent music was amazingly popular.
3. Rossini composed an average of two operas per year, and several of the early ones
(including the Barber of Seville) were written in a month or less.
4. The conditions under which Rossini composed aided the quick presentation of his
operas.
5. Rossini and Beethoven differed substantially in many ways.
a. Rossini tossed off brilliant pieces effortlessly and was involved in the practical
music world.
b. Beethoven worked hard on his pieces and was removed from the practical music world.
6. In opera circles, Rossini was seen as a great figure.
7. The opera Guillaume Tell (1829) expanded the scope of his operas in every aspect.
8. The success of Guillaume Tell allowed Rossini to retire soon after its premiere, although he wrote a few works in later years.

Rossinian Conventions: The Overture
1. Rossini worked within genres, and his formulas for various genres (overture, aria)
became standards for everyone.
2. By the end of the eighteenth century, the opera sinfonia was similar to the first
movement of a symphony, but a short one.
a. Rossini’s Barber of Seville overture is in the typical three parts.
b. This does not mean that all Rossini overtures sound alike, and the details that distinguish them make for enjoyable listening.

Imbroglio: The Comic Finale
1. The finales of acts in Italian comic operas usually included comic ensembles, and
Rossini surpassed all predecessors.
2. The finale is the best place to highlight buffa style, and the best example is the finale to
the first act of Rossini’s L’Italiana in Algeri.
a. This piece comes at the height of the comic complication that drives the plot—the imbroglio.
b. Rossini has the drama conveyed not through the meaning of the words but their
sounds, within creative melodic lines that remain in the memory. This exemplifies his genius.

Heartthrobs: The Serious Aria
1. Rossini was also influential in opera seria, even if it is his comic operas we remember most today.
2. His formula for the serious aria was two main sections in contrasting tempos.
a. The cantabile, a lyrical section
b. The cabaletta, a brilliant section
3. The author Stendhal wrote a biography of Rossini that is useful for what it has to say
as music criticism. Placing it alongside Hoffmann’s remarks on Beethoven encapsulates the Romantic divide between instrumental music (German, Protestant North) and vocal music (largely Italian, Catholic South).

KEY TERMS

Imbroglio: comic complication that drives the plot in an opera buffa

Opera Buffa: Opera buffa, (Italian: “comic opera”) genre of comic opera originating in Naples in the mid-18th century. It developed from the intermezzi, or interludes, performed between the acts of serious operas.

cantabile: lyrical section; first section of an aria or ensemble, somewhat slow and expressing a relatively calm mood

tempi di mezzo: middle section of an aria or ensemble, usually an interruption or transition that falls between the cantabile and the cabaletta

cabaletta: brilliant section; it is the last part of an aria or ensemble which was lively and expressed active feelings, such as joy or despaire

"Rossini crescendo:” was typically created by a series of repeating ostinatos

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