Biographies, histories, facts, photographs. Italian composer Rossini: biography, creativity, life story and best works Two premieres with different results

The famous Italian composer Gioacchino Rossini was born on February 29, 1792 in the small town of Pesaro, located on the coast of the Gulf of Venice.

Since childhood, he has been 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, possessed beautiful voice. There were always songs and music in the house.

Being a supporter of the French Revolution, Giuseppe Rossini joyfully welcomed the entry of revolutionary units into Italy 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 itinerant musicians. Rossini's father was a horn player in orchestras that performed in fair performances, and his mother performed opera arias. The beautiful soprano Gioacchino, who sang in church choirs, also brought income to the family. The boy's voice was highly appreciated 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. His teacher was church composer Angelo Tesei, 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 musical education, Gioacchino decided to continue it at the Bologna Music Lyceum, where he was enrolled as a cello student. Classes in counterpoint and composition were supplemented by independent study of scores and manuscripts from the rich Lyceum library.

Passion for the work of such famous musical figures as Cimarosa, Haydn and Mozart, had a special influence on the development of Rossini as a musician and composer. While still a student of 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 Four Seasons.

Gioacchino Rossini early discovered an amazing capacity for work, he quickly coped with any creative task, showing the wonders of amazing compositional technique. During the years of teaching, he wrote a large number musical works, among which - sacred works, symphonies, instrumental music and vocal works, as well as excerpts from the opera "Demetrio and Polibio", Rossini's first work in this genre.

The year of graduation from the musical lyceum was marked by the beginning of the simultaneous activity of Rossini as a singer, bandmaster and opera composer.

The period from 1810 to 1815 was marked in the life of the famous composer as "wandering", at this time Rossini wandered from one city to another, not staying anywhere for more than two or 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 settlements had to be content with the art of itinerant theatrical troupes, usually consisting of a prima donna, a tenor, a bass, and a few supporting singers. The orchestra was recruited from local music lovers, military and traveling musicians.

The maestro (composer), hired by the troupe impresario, wrote music to the provided libretto, and the performance was staged, while the maestro had to conduct the opera himself. With a successful production, the work was performed for 20-30 days, after which the troupe disintegrated, and the artists scattered around the cities.

Within five for long years Gioacchino Rossini wrote operas for traveling theaters and artists. Close cooperation with the performers contributed to the development of great composer 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 delight of the public and penny fees - that's what Rossini received as a reward for his composing work. In his early works, some haste and carelessness were noted, which caused severe criticism. Thus, the composer Paisiello, who saw a formidable rival in Gioacchino Rossini, spoke of him as "a dissolute composer, little versed in the rules of art and devoid of good taste."

Criticism did not bother young composer, since he was well aware of the shortcomings of his works, in some scores he even noted the so-called grammatical errors with the words "to satisfy the pedants."

In the early years of independent creative activity Rossini worked on writing mainly comic operas that had strong roots in the musical culture of Italy. In his further work the genre of serious opera occupied an important place.

Unprecedented success came to Rossini in 1813, after the performances in Venice of the works "Tankred" (opera seria) and "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 in carnivals, city squares and streets.

Gioacchino Rossini became one of the most popular composers Italy. Memorable melodies, filled with uncontrollable temperament, fun, heroic pathos and love lyrics, made an unforgettable impression on the entire Italian society, whether it be aristocratic circles or a society of artisans.

The composer's patriotic ideas, sounding in many of his works of a later period, also found a response. So, in the typical buffoonish plot of "Italian in Algeria" with fights, scenes with disguises and lovers who get into a mess, patriotic themes are unexpectedly wedged.

The main heroine of the opera, Isabella, addresses her beloved Lindor, who is languishing in captivity at the Algerian Bey Mustafa, with the words: “Think about your homeland, be fearless and do your duty. Look: throughout Italy, sublime examples of valor and dignity are being revived. This aria reflects the patriotic feelings of the era.

In 1815, Rossini moved to Naples, where he was offered a position as a composer at the San Carlo Opera House, which promised a number of profitable prospects, such as high fees and work with famous performers. Moving to Naples was marked for the young Gioacchino by the end of the period of "vagrancy".

From 1815 to 1822, Rossini worked in one of the best theaters in Italy, at the same time he traveled around the country and completed 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 tradition: violating the rights of the singer, he wrote out in the score all the coloratura, virtuoso passages and decorations of the aria. 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 comedy genre to more serious music.

The situation of the growing social upsurge, which was resolved by the uprising of the Carbonari in 1820-1821, required more significant and heroic images than the frivolous characters of comedic works. Thus, in the opera seria there were more opportunities to express new trends that Gioacchino Rossini was sensitive to.

For a number of years, the main object of the outstanding composer's work was a serious opera. Rossini strove to change the musical and plot standards of the traditional seria opera, which had already been defined at the beginning of the 18th century. 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 a serious opera the activity and dynamics borrowed from the buffa opera.

The time of work in the Neapolitan theater turned out to be very significant in terms of its achievements and results. During this period, such works were written as Tancred, Othello (1816), which reflected Rossini's tendency to high drama, as well as monumental heroic works Moses in Egypt (1818) and Mohammed II (1820) .

Romantic tendencies developing in Italian music demanded new artistic images and means of musical expression. Rossini's opera The Woman from the Lake (1819) reflects such features of the romantic style in music as picturesque descriptions and the transfer of lyrical experiences.

The best works of Gioachino Rossini are considered to be The Barber of Seville, created in 1816 for staging 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.

In The Barber of Seville, all the most vital and vivid from the buffa opera was preserved: the democratic traditions of the genre and national elements were enriched in this work, permeated through and through with smart, biting irony, sincere fun and optimism, 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 show the audience enthusiastically welcomed the famous composer, 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 work of the same name famous French playwright Beaumarchais. The place of events unfolding on the stage is the Spanish Seville, the main characters are Count Almaviva, his beloved Rosina, the barber, physician and musician Figaro, Dr. Bartolo, Rosina's guardian and the monk Don Basilio, Bartolo's secret attorney.

In the first picture of the first act, Count Almaviva, in love, wanders near the house of Dr. Bartolo, where his beloved lives. His lyrical aria is heard by Rosina's cunning guardian, who himself has views of his ward. Figaro, the master of all sorts, comes to the aid of the lovers, inspired by the count's promises.

The action of the second picture takes place in the house of Bartolo, in the room of Rosina, who dreams of sending a letter to her admirer Lindor (Count Almaviva is hidden under this name). At this time, Figaro appears and offers his services, but the unexpected arrival of a 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, Bartolo tries to put him out the door. In this turmoil, the count manages to quietly pass a note to his beloved and inform that Lindor is he. Figaro is also here, together with Bartolo's servants, he is trying to separate the owner of the house and 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 filed with a majestic gesture instantly changes his behavior. The representative of the authorities bows respectfully to the disguised Almaviva, causing bewilderment among all those present.

The second action takes place in Bartolo's room, where the amorous count, disguised as a monk, arrives, posing as Don Alonzo's singing teacher. To gain Dr. Bartolo's trust, Almaviva gives him Rosina's note. The girl, recognizing her Lindor in the monk, willingly starts 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 get hold of the key to Rosina's balcony. The arrival of Don Basilio threatens to ruin the well-played performance, but he is “removed” from the stage just in time. The lesson resumes, Figaro continues the shaving procedure, trying to block the lovers from Bartolo, but the deception is revealed. Almaviva and the barber are forced to flee.

Bartolo, using a note from Rosina, carelessly given to him by the count, persuades the disappointed girl to sign the marriage contract. Rosina reveals to her guardian the secret of the impending escape, and he goes to fetch 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 the lack of stairs near the balcony and the arrival of Don Basilio with a notary.

The appearance of Figaro, who announced Rosina as his niece and Count Almaviva as her fiancé, saves the day. Dr. Bartolo, who came with the guards, finds the marriage of the ward already accomplished. In impotent rage, he attacks the "traitor" Basilio and the "scoundrel" Figaro, but Almaviva's generosity bribes him, and he joins the general welcoming chorus.

The libretto of The Barber of Seville differs significantly from the original: here the social sharpness and satirical orientation Beaumarchais's comedies were greatly softened. For Rossini, Count Almaviva is a lyrical character, not an empty rake-aristocrat. His sincere feelings and desire for happiness triumph over the mercenary plans of Bartolo's guardian.

Figaro appears as a cheerful, dexterous and enterprising person, in whose party there is not even a hint of moralizing and philosophizing. Figaro's life credo is laughter and jokes. These two characters are contrasted with negative characters - the stingy old man Bartolo and the hypocritical hypocrite Don Basilio.

Cheerful, sincere, contagious laughter is the main tool of Gioacchino Rossini, who in his musical comedies and farces relies on the traditional images of the buffa opera - the amorous guardian, the dexterous servant, the pretty pupil and the cunning rogue monk.

Reviving 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 the stage or the character was associated by the public with a certain event, incident or a specific person.

Thus, The Barber of Seville is a 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 that precedes the events of the opera sets the tone for the entire work. She plunges into the atmosphere of fun and easy jokes. In the future, 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 a continuity of transitions and give the overture an organic integrity.

The fascination of the operatic action of The Barber of Seville depends on the variety of compositional techniques used by Rossini: introduction, the effect of which is the result of a combination of stage and musical action; alternation of recitatives and dialogues with solo arias characterizing this or that character, and duets; ensemble scenes with a through line of development, designed to mix the various threads of the plot and maintain intense interest in the further development of events; orchestral parts that support the rapid pace of the opera.

The source of the melody and rhythm of "The Barber of Seville" by Gioacchino Rossini is bright temperamental Italian music. In the score of this work, everyday song and dance turns and rhythms are heard, which form the basis of this musical comedy.

Created after The Barber of Seville, the works Cinderella and Magpie the Thief are far from the usual comedy genre. The composer pays more attention to lyrical characteristics and dramatic situations. However, with all the striving for a new Rossini, he could not finally overcome the conventions of a serious opera.

In 1822, together with a troupe of Italian artists, the famous composer went on a two-year tour of the capitals of European states. Glory walked ahead of the famous maestro, everywhere he was expected by a luxurious reception, huge fees and the best theaters and performers in the world.

In 1824, Rossini became the head of the Italian opera house in Paris and did much in this post 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, many old works have been reworked. Thus, the opera "Mohammed II" in the French version was called "The Siege of Coronth" and was a success on the 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 rigorous interpretation of the operatic plot, a shift in emphasis from lyrical to heroic scenes, a simplification of the vocal style, giving more importance to crowd scenes, choir and ensemble, as well as an attentive attitude 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 about the national liberation war of the Swiss cantons against the Austrians, fully met the patriotic moods of Gioacchino 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 autumn of 1829, caused rave reviews from the public, but this opera did not receive much recognition and popularity. Outside of France, the production of William Tell was taboo.

Pictures of the folk life and 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 brilliance 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 Gioacchino Rossini, who at the age of 40 suddenly stopped writing opera music and began arranging concerts and performances. In 1836, the celebrated 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 severe 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 came here.

Retirement from opera did not weaken the fame of Rossini, which came to him in his youth and did not leave even after his death. Of those created in the second half of his life, collections of romances and duets deserve special attention. Musical evenings”, as well as sacred music “Stabat mater”.

Gioacchino 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.

Gioacchino Rossini is rightfully considered one of the greatest composers in history. Probably every person familiar with music remembers his famous opera "The Barber of Seville". This article will detail the life of Gioacchino Rossini as well as his most famous pieces of music.

Rossini's childhood

Many different books and publications have been written about Rossini. The most common among them is the 1973 biographical work of Elena Bronfin. This book describes in detail all those events that, one way or another, were connected 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 pinnacle.

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

Gioacchino's carefree childhood overshadowed French revolution. Besides, myself future composer, according to many sources, was a very lazy and even naughty little boy. Parents saved the situation in time by giving Gioacchino to study with a local pastor. It was the priest who taught Rossini all the necessary composition lessons.

The first creative endeavors of the young Gioacchino

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

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.

Of great importance for the future creative manifestations of Gioacchino was friendship with the famous Italian tenor Mombelli. They wrote together musical numbers, composed the libretto and developed theatrical productions. In 1808, the composer Rossini wrote a whole mass. It was a male choir, accompanied by a vibrant organ and orchestra accompaniment.

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. This couple wrote a letter to Rossini expressing their desire to see the young Gioacchino in Venice. The aspiring composer immediately agreed. Gioacchino's task was to write a musical theme for the theatrical libretto. The production was called "Marriage on a bill." It was this work that became the brightest debut of Rossini 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 exactly how this or that composition should line up. At the same time, the musician himself, according to many sources, led a very disorderly and idle lifestyle. In Venice, he walked a lot and had fun, but at the same time he always managed to write the right order on time.

"The Barber of Seville"

In 1813, the composer Rossini wrote a truly grandiose work that turned his whole life upside down - this is "Italian in Algeria". The excellent music, the deep content of the libretto, the bright patriotic mood that the work set - 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 the pearl of Italian music - that's what Gioacchino Rossini was striving for. 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. Written in less than a month, "The Barber of Seville" became the first work of Rossini, famous outside of Italy. So, an amazing incident happened to Gioacchino in the Austrian Empire: it was there that the composer met Beethoven himself, who spoke positively about the "barber".

Rossini's new ideas

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

Gioacchino was more and more overgrown with ideas and new ideas. milestone On the creative path of Gioacchino there was a monumental opera series called "Moses in Egypt". Rossini worked on this work for a month and a half. The premiere of "Moses" took place in Naples, where it was accompanied by a huge success.

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

Vienna, London and Paris

The Austrian, English and Parisian periods played a big role in Rossini's life. The reason for sending the composer to Vienna was the resounding success of the opera Zelmira. In Austria, the composer first encountered mass unfavorable criticism: many German composers believed that any opera by Rossini did not deserve the success that accompanied Gioacchino in almost all of Europe. However, Beethoven was not among the haters. Already completely deaf, Ludwig closely followed the work of Rossini, reading his music, literally, from musical paper. Beethoven showed great interest in Gioacchino; he was extremely flattering about almost all of his works.

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

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

Getting closer to creativity

In the late twenties of the 19th century, Rossini agreed to work as the head 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 "General Inspector of Singing and Composer His Majesty in France." Gioacchino received an honorary position under the king.

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

After the "Journey" Rossini took up the development of the monumental opera "Mohammed II". This heroic-tragic work was distinguished by many innovative elements, which 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 people. French composers: Aubert, Boildieu, Herold and others.

"William Tell"

Rossini, working simultaneously in two directions of French opera - comic and tragic, conceived the production of a great work, completely original and innovative. Something new, not like any previous work - that's what Gioacchino Rossini was striving for. The works of past years, though considered innovative, but only in places. That is why the composer set about composing an opera about the brave archer 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. It is not surprising that everyone was looking forward to "Wilhelm". The product was in development for about six months. This four-bar opera premiered in 1828.

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

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

Biography of the former composer

Gioacchino "silenced" at the age of 37. Behind him were about 40 operas, great fame and resounding success. The rapid development of Romanticism in Europe also influenced Rossini's departure from art.

After spending several years in oblivion, Gioacchino nevertheless set about writing small overtures. However, almost nothing remained of the former intensity. After moving to Italy, the composer became interested pedagogical activity. Rossini directed the Bologna Lyceum, of which he himself had been a pupil in his childhood. It was thanks to Gioacchino that musical education received its rapid and high-quality development.

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

Rossini Culinary

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

Gioacchino was a refined culinary specialist. 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 bursting with a wide variety of wines, of all types and varieties. However, cooking ruined Rossini. The former composer began to suffer from obesity and stomach diseases.

Composer's death

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 arranged grandiose receptions. The most famous personalities and politicians sought the opportunity to visit them. Sometimes Rossini conducted, while still attracting the attention of the European musical community. The personality of Gioacchino was truly great: Wagner, Franz Liszt, Saint-Saens and many others communicated with him. greatest composers peace.

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 small compositions. Rossini wrote his first real opera, A Marriage Promissory Note, at the age of 18. It is impossible not to mention 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.

Gioacchino Antonio Rossini(1792-1868) - an outstanding Italian composer, author of 39 operas, sacred and chamber music.

short biography

Born in Pesaro (Italy), in the family of a horn player. In 1810 he wrote the opera "The Marriage Bill", which did not receive recognition. Success came to Rossini three years later, when his opera Tancred was staged in Venice, which won the largest opera scenes in Italy. Since then, success has accompanied him in almost all European countries. In 1815, in Naples, he signed a contract with the entrepreneur D. Barbaia, undertaking to write two operas a year for a constant annual salary. Until 1823, the composer worked selflessly, fulfilling the terms of the contract. At the same time, he made a tour trip to Vienna, where he was given an enthusiastic reception.

After a short stay in Venice, and having written the opera "Semiramide" for the local theater, Rossini went to London, where he enjoyed great success as a composer and conductor, and then to Paris. In Paris, he becomes director of the Italian Opera, but he is soon dismissed from this position. Considering the merits of Rossini as the greatest composer of the era, the position of chief intendant of royal music is created for him, and then the chief inspector of singing in France.

Having finished work on William Tell in 1829, Rossini did not write another opera until his death. All his composing work of this time was limited to "Stabat Mater", several chamber and choral works and songs. This is perhaps the only case in the history of music, when the composer himself deliberately interrupted his creative work.

From time to time he still conducted, but, basically, he enjoyed the fame of an honored musician-composer and was engaged in the kitchen. A great gourmet, he loved delicious dishes and knew how to cook them, endlessly inventing new recipes. For some time he was a co-owner of the Paris Opera House. From 1836 he lived in Italy, mainly in Bologna, but after 19 years, he returned to Paris again and did not leave it until the end of his life.

When it was decided during the life of Rossini to erect a monument worth two million lire in his homeland in Pesaro, the composer did not agree, arguing: "Give me this money, and every day for two years I will stand for two hours on a plinth in any position" .

IN creative legacy Rossini includes 37 operas ("The Barber of Seville", "The Thieving Magpie", "Italian in Algeria", "Cinderella", "William Tell", etc.), "Stabat Mater", 15 cantatas, numerous choral works, songs, chamber works (mainly quartets for wind instruments). His music is sustained in the style of late classicism and in Italian traditions. She is distinguished by her extraordinary temperament, inexhaustible melodic diversity, lightness, brilliant use of all shades of instruments and performing voices (including the coloratura mezzo-soprano, which had never been seen before), rich accompaniment, independent interpretation of orchestral parts, skillful characterization of stage situations. All these virtues place Rossini, along with Mozart and Wagner, among the greatest opera composers.

Listen online

01. The Barber of Seville

02. "Silken Ladder"

03. "L" Italiana in Algeri"

04. "Signor Bruschino"

05. The Turk in Italy

06. Cinderella

07. "Bill on marriage"

08. Touchstone

Other composers

Albinoni | Bach | Beethoven |

(29 II 1792, Pesaro - 13 XI 1868, Passy, ​​near Paris)

Gioacchino Rossini Rossini opened the brilliant 19th century in the music of Italy, followed by a whole galaxy of opera creators: Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi, Puccini, as if passing the baton of world-famous Italian opera to each other. The author of 37 operas, Rossini raised the opera-buffa genre to an unattainable height. His "The Barber of Seville", written almost a century after the birth of the genre, became the pinnacle and symbol of opera buffa in general. On the other hand, it was Rossini who completed the almost century and a half history of the most famous opera genre- opera-seria, which conquered all of Europe, and opened the way for the development of a new, which came to replace it, the heroic-patriotic opera of the era of romanticism. The main strength of the composer, the heir to Italian national traditions, is in the inexhaustible ingenuity of melodies, captivating, brilliant, virtuoso.

Singer, conductor, pianist, Rossini was distinguished by rare benevolence and sociability. Without any envy, he spoke with admiration about the successes of his young Italian contemporaries, ready to help, suggest, support. His admiration for Beethoven is known, with whom Rossini met in Vienna in last years his life. In one of his letters, he wrote about this in his usual joking manner: “I study Beethoven twice a week, Hayd four, and Mozart daily ... Beethoven is a colossus who often gives you a good cuff in the side, while Mozart always amazing." Weber, with whom they competed, Rossini called "a great genius, and also genuine, because he created original and did not imitate anyone." He also liked Mendelssohn, especially his Songs without Words. At the meeting, Rossini asked Mendelssohn to play Bach for him, “a lot of Bach”: “His genius is simply overwhelming. If Beethoven is a miracle among men, then Bach is a miracle among gods. I subscribed to complete collection his writings." Even to Wagner, whose work was very far from his operatic ideals, Rossini was respectful, interested in the principles of his reform, as evidenced by their meeting in Paris in 1860.

Wit was characteristic of Rossini not only in creativity, but also in life. He claimed that this was foreshadowed by the very date of his birth - February 29, 1792. The composer's birthplace is the seaside town of Pesaro. His father played the trumpet and horn, his mother, although she did not know the notes, was a singer and sang by ear (according to Rossini "out of a hundred Italian singers eighty are in the same position"). Both were members of a traveling troupe. Gioacchino, who showed early talent for music, at the age of 7, along with writing, arithmetic and Latin, studied harpsichord, solfeggio and singing at a boarding school in Bologna. At the age of 8, he already performed in churches, where he was entrusted with the most complex soprano parts, and once he was assigned a children's role in a popular opera. Delighted listeners predicted that Rossini would become a famous singer. He accompanied himself from sight, read orchestral scores fluently, and worked as an accompanist and choir director in the theaters of Bologna. Since 1804, his systematic studies of playing the viola and violin began, in the spring of 1806 he entered the Bologna Music Lyceum, and a few months later the famous Bologna Academy of Music unanimously elected him as its member. Then the future glory of Italy was only 14 years old. And at 15 he wrote his first opera. Hearing her a few years later, Stendhal admired her melodies - “the first flowers created by the imagination of Rossini; they had all the freshness of the morning of his life.”

He studied at the Lyceum Rossini (including playing the cello) for about 4 years. His counterpoint teacher was the famous Padre Mattei. Subsequently, Rossini regretted that he could not take a full course in composition - he had to earn a living and help his parents. During the years of study, he independently got acquainted with the music of Haydn and Mozart, organized a string quartet, where he played the viola part; at his insistence, the ensemble played many of Haydn's compositions. From a music lover, he took for a while the scores of Haydn's oratorios and Mozart's operas and rewrote them: at first, only the vocal part, to which he composed his accompaniment, and then compared it with the author's. However, Rossini dreamed of a singer's career, much more prestigious: "when the composer received fifty ducats, the singer got a thousand." According to him, he almost accidentally got on the composer's path - a voice mutation began. At the Lyceum, he tried his hand at different genres: wrote 2 symphonies, 5 string quartets, variations for solo instruments with orchestra, cantata. One of the symphonies and a cantata were performed in lyceum concerts.

Upon graduation, the 18-year-old composer on November 3, 1810 saw his opera for the first time on the stage of the Venetian theater. The next autumn season, Rossini was engaged by the theater in Bologna to write a two-act opera buffa. During 1812 he composed and staged 6 operas, including one zepa. “I had ideas quickly and only lacked the time to write them down. I never belonged to those who sweat when composing music. Opera buffa "The Touchstone" was staged at the largest theater in Italy, Milan's La Scala, where it was held 50 times in a row; to listen to her, according to Stendhal, “crowds of people came to Milan from Parma, Piacenza, Bergamo and Brescia and from all the cities for twenty miles in the vicinity. Rossini became the first man of his region; Everyone wanted to see him no matter what." And the opera brought exemption from military service to the 20-year-old author: the general who commanded in Milan liked The Touchstone so much that he turned to the viceroy, and the army was missing one soldier.

The turning point in Rossini's work was 1813, when, within three and a half months, two operas, popular to this day ("Tankred" and "Italian in Algeria"), saw the light of the stage in the theaters of Venice, and the third, which failed at the premiere and is now forgotten, brought an immortal overture - Rossini used it twice more, and now everyone knows it as the overture to the Barber of Seville. After 4 years, the impresario of one of the best theaters in Italy and the largest in Europe, the Neapolitan San Carlo, enterprising and successful Domenico Barbaia, nicknamed the Viceroy of Naples, signed a long contract with Rossini, for 6 years. The prima donna of the troupe was the beautiful Spaniard Isabella Colbran, who had a magnificent voice and dramatic talent. She had known the composer for a long time - in the same year, 14-year-old Rossini and Colbrand, 7 years older than him, were elected members of the Bologna Academy. Now she was a friend of Barbaia and at the same time enjoyed the patronage of the king. Colbrand soon became Rossini's lover, and in 1822, his wife.

For 6 years (1816-1822), the composer wrote 10 opera seria for Naples, counting on Colbran, and 9 for other theaters, mainly buffa, since Colbran did not play comic roles. Among them are The Barber of Seville and Cinderella. At the same time, a new romantic genre was born, which in the future will supplant the opera-seria: a folk-heroic opera dedicated to the theme of the struggle for liberation, depicting large masses of people, extensive use of choral scenes that occupy no less space than arias (“Moses”, “ Mahomet II).

1822 opens new page in the life of Rossini. In the spring, together with the Neapolitan troupe, he goes to Vienna, where his operas have been successfully staged for 6 years. For 4 months, Rossini is bathed in glory, he is recognized on the streets, crowds gather under the windows of his house to see the composer, and sometimes listen to him sing. In Vienna, he meets Beethoven - sick, lonely, huddled in a squalid apartment, whom Rossini tries in vain to help. The Vienna tour was followed by the London tour, which was even longer and more successful. For 7 months, until the end of July 1824, he conducts his operas in London, acts as an accompanist and singer in public and private concerts, including in the royal palace: English king- one of his most loyal fans. The cantata "The Complaint of the Muses about the Death of Lord Byron" was also written here, at the premiere of which the composer sang the part of the solo tenor. At the end of the tour, Rossini took out of England a fortune - 175 thousand francs, which made him remember the fee for the first opera - 200 lire. And it hasn't even been 15 years since then...

After London, Rossini was waiting for Paris and a well-paid position as head of the Italian Opera. However, Rossini stayed in this post for only 2 years, although he made a dizzying career: “composer of His Majesty the King and inspector of singing of all musical institutions” (the highest musical position in France), member of the Council for the Management of Royal Musical Schools, member of the committee of the Grand Opera Theatre. Here Rossini created his innovative score - the folk-heroic opera "William Tell". Born on the eve of the revolution of 1830, it was perceived by contemporaries as a direct call to insurrection. And on this peak, at the age of 37, Rossini stopped his operatic activity. However, he did not stop writing. 3 years before his death, he said to one of his guests: “Do you see this bookcase full of musical manuscripts? All this was written after William Tell. But I don't post anything; I write because I can't do otherwise.

The largest works of Rossini of this period belong to the genre of spiritual oratorio (Stabat Mater, Little Solemn Mass). A lot of chamber vocal music was also created. The most famous ariettas and duets were "Musical Evenings", others were included in the "Album of Italian Songs", "Mixture of Vocal Music". Rossini also wrote instrumental pieces, often providing them with ironic titles: "Restrained Pieces", "Four Appetizers and Four Desserts", "Pain Relieving Music", etc.

Since 1836, Rossini returned to Italy for almost 20 years. He devotes himself to pedagogical work, supports the newly founded Experimental Musical Gymnasium in Florence, the Bologna Musical Lyceum, which he once graduated from himself. For the last 13 years, Rossini has been living in France again, both in Paris itself and in a villa in the suburbs of Passy, ​​surrounded by honor and glory. After the death of Colbrand (1845), with whom he broke up about 10 years ago, Rossini marries a Frenchwoman, Olympia Pelissier. Contemporaries characterize her as an unremarkable woman, but endowed with a sympathetic and good heart However, Rossini's Italian friends consider her mean and inhospitable. The composer regularly arranges receptions that are famous throughout Paris. These “Rossini Saturdays” bring together the most brilliant company, attracted by both refined conversation and exquisite cuisine, of which the composer was known and even was the inventor of some recipes. A sumptuous dinner was followed by a concert, and the host often sang and accompanied the singers. The last such evening took place on September 20, 1868, when the composer was in his 77th year; he performed the recently composed elegy "Farewell to Life".

Rossini died on November 13, 1868 at his villa in Passy near Paris. In his will, he allocated two and a half million francs for the creation music school in his native Pesaro, where a monument was erected to him 4 years before, as well as a large amount on the establishment in Passy of a nursing home for French and Italian singers who have made a career in France. About 4,000 people attended the funeral mass. The funeral procession was accompanied by two battalions of infantry and the bands of two legions of the National Guard, who performed excerpts from Rossini's operas and sacred works.

The composer was buried in the Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris next to Bellini, Cherubini and Chopin. Upon learning of the death of Rossini, Verdi wrote: “A great name has died out in the world! It was the most popular name of our era, the widest fame - and this was the glory of Italy! He invited Italian composers to honor the memory of Rossini by writing a collective Requiem, which was to be solemnly performed in Bologna on the first anniversary of his death. In 1887, the embalmed body of Rossini was transported to Florence and buried in the Cathedral of Santa Croce, in the pantheon of the great men of Italy, next to the graves of Michelangelo and Galileo.

A. Koenigsberg

Italian composer. One of the outstanding representatives of the opera genre in the 19th century. His work is at the same time the completion of the development music XVIII V. and opens the way to the artistic conquests of romanticism. His first opera, Demetrio and Polibio (1806), was still written quite in line with the traditional opera seria. Rossini turned to this genre repeatedly. Among the best essays"Tancred" (1813), "Othello" (1816), "Moses in Egypt" (1818), "Zelmira" (1822, Naples, libretto by A. Tottola), "Semiramide" (1823).

Rossini made a huge contribution to the development of opera buffa. The first experiments in this genre were "Promissory note for marriage" (1810, Venice, libretto by G. Rossi), "Signor Bruschino" (1813) and a number of other works. It was in the buffa opera that Rossini created his own type of overture, based on the contrast of a slow introduction, followed by a swift allegro. One of the earliest classical examples of such an overture is seen in his opera The Silk Stairs (1812). Finally, in 1813, Rossini created his first masterpiece in the buffon genre: "Italian in Algiers", where the features of the composer's mature style are already quite visible, especially in the wonderful finale of the first d. His success was also the buffa opera "The Turk in Italy" ( 1814). Two years later, the composer writes his best opera, The Barber of Seville, which rightfully occupies an outstanding place in the history of the genre.

Created in 1817, "Cinderella" testifies to Rossini's desire to expand the palette of artistic means. Purely buffoonish elements are replaced by a combination of comic and lyrical beginnings, in the same year the Thieving Magpie appears, written in the genre of an opera semi-series, in which lyric-comedy elements coexist with tragic ones (how can one not recall Mozart's Don Giovanni). In 1819, Rossini created one of his most romantic works - "Lady of the Lake" (based on the novel by W. Scott).

Among his later works, the Siege of Corinth (1826, Paris, is a French edition of his earlier opera-series Mohammed II), The Comte Ory (1828), written in the style of a French comic opera (in which the composer used a number of the most successful themes from the opera "Journey to Reims", created three years earlier on the occasion of the coronation of King Charles X in Reims), and, finally, Rossini's last masterpiece - "William Tell" (1829). This opera, with its drama, individually delineated characters, large through scenes, already belongs to another musical era- age of romanticism. This essay ends creative way Rossini as an opera composer. In the next 30 years, he created a number of vocal and instrumental works (among them "Stabat Mater", etc.), vocal and piano miniatures.

Gioakkino Rossini was 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, having entered the Musical Lyceum in Bologna. There he studied cello and counterpoint until 1810, when Rossini's first noteworthy work, the one-act opera-farce La cambiale di matrimonio (1810), was staged in Venice.

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

In 1813, Rossini composed two operas that immortalized his name: "Tancredi" (Tancredi) by Tasso and then the two-act opera buffa "Italian in Algiers" (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 Il Turco in Italia, 1814, which retained its charm in Italy - a kind of "couple" to the opera The 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 San Carlo Theater.

We are talking about the 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 (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 - by the 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 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 there in December 1816 the opera, which, perhaps, was most highly appreciated by his contemporaries - "Otello" by Shakespeare. There are some 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, but the premiere did not give any grounds for speculation about future success. However, Rossini experienced this failure much calmer.

In the same year, 1817, he traveled to Milan to stage the opera La gazza ladra, the Thieving Magpie, an elegantly orchestrated melodrama now almost forgotten, except for its magnificent overture.

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

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

However, before the termination of the contract with Naples, he presented the city with two outstanding works. In 1818, he wrote the opera Moses in Egypt (Mos in Egitto), which soon conquered Europe.

In 1819, Rossini presented The Lady of the Lake (La donna del lago), which was more modestly successful.

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

The composer brought to Vienna his latest work- the opera "Zelmira" (Zelmira), which won the author an unprecedented success. Although some musicians, led by K.M. von Weber, sharply criticized Rossini, others, among them F. Schubert, gave favorable assessments. As for society, it unconditionally took the side of 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 supposed to honor the conclusion of the Holy Alliance with cantatas.

In February 1823 he composed for Venice new opera- "Semiramida" (Semiramida), from which now only the overture remains in the concert repertoire. "Semiramide" can be recognized as the culmination of the Italian period in the work of Rossini, if only because it was last opera composed by him 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 in doubt. No wonder Stendhal compared the triumph of Rossini 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 in great demand in secular society as a singer and accompanist.

by the most important event of that time was the receipt by the composer of an invitation to Paris as artistic director Opera House "Italian Theatre". The significance of this contract is that it determined the place of residence of the composer until the end of his days. In addition, he confirmed the absolute superiority of Rossini as an operatic 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 Italian opera especially when it comes to performances. The performances of two previously written operas, which Rossini radically revised for Paris, were performed with great success. And most importantly, he composed the comic opera "Count Ory" (Le comte Ory), which was, as one might expect, a huge success.

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

Recognized by performers and critics as an absolute masterpiece, this opera, however, never aroused such enthusiasm among the public as The Barber of Seville, Semiramide or Moses: ordinary listeners considered Tell to be an opera too long and cold. However, it cannot be denied that the opera contains the most beautiful music, and fortunately, it has not completely disappeared from the modern world repertoire. All Rossini's operas created in France are 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. Such a cessation of composer activity at the very zenith of mastery and fame is a unique phenomenon in the history of world musical culture.

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

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

It can be assumed that the composer was called 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 Olimpia, who became a good wife for the sick 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 condition began to improve, the composer returned to a share of optimism. Music, which had been a taboo subject for years, began to come to his mind again.

April 15, 1857 - the name day of Olympia - 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. It was followed by a series of small plays - Rossini called them "Sins of my old age". This music became the basis for the ballet "Magic Shop" (La boutique fantasque).

In 1863 there appeared last work Rossini - "Little Solemn Mass" (Petite messe solennelle). This mass, in essence, is not very solemn and not at all small, but a work beautiful in music and imbued with deep sincerity.

After 19 years, at the request of the Italian government, the composer's coffin was transported to Florence and buried in the church of Santa Croce next to the ashes of Galileo, Michelangelo, Machiavelli and other great Italians.