| Italian composer, the most successful operatic
composer of his time. He was born in Pesaro. Rossini composed 37 operas,
beginning with Demetrio e Polibio (1806) and ending with William Tell
(1829). He was one of the great 19th-century exponents of the bel canto
style, which emphasizes beauty of melodic line, rather than excessive
drama and emotion. Rossini's most successful opera is The Barber of Seville,
produced in Rome in 1816. His others include Cinderella (1817) and Semiramide
(1823). Rossini's operas were the last and best in the Italian opera buffa
(comic opera) style. |