Giacchino Rossini (1792-1868)
Rossini was a part of the 19th century Italian opera era. He was one of those composers that made writing pieces seem effortless when they were put together. He had parents whom were indeed musicians, so this led him to being exposed to the music industry and he began to learn to play instruments that inspired him such as: the piano, violin, and the cello. He also sang in a choir, kind of in his mother’s footsteps because she was the singer in the family.
Some of Rossini’s influences included Mozart and Haydn. He would hear their music and be inspired to bring his own ideas to life by composing. He was one of the most famous and well known composer and royalty always wanted to see what he had composed. A very famous opera of his was The Barber of Seville. This opera is known to be very comedic and riveting for viewers. The story is about a wealthy man wanting a woman as his wife and he has to go through a great deal to have her. Rossini is known to have very graceful music even though it was full of very funny scenes and situations. There is a lot of string and piano playing that would be done in his operas. Most likely because, like stated before, he was exposed to that he knew the power of the piano and violin because he played them himself.
Rossini was full of life and enjoyed composing and it was a lot of hard work for him, but he made it to where he was known all over the country. His opera/music is legendary he retired in Paris and spent the rest of his life there.
Here is the overture of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville:
mus115: opera 
For some reason, I always confuse The Barber of Seville with Sweeney Todd. (Maybe because both stories involve barbers?) Because I consistently mix up the two operas, I have always felt an aversion toward watching the Barber of Seville because I associated it with the gore and violence that occurs in Sweeney Todd. Hearing this overture was a bit like putting a name to a face – now I recognize that the Barber of Seville is much more lighthearted than Sweeney Todd. To continue the metaphor of putting a name to a face, I love that you chose to share the overture! The music was always familiar to me, but I never knew what the music was from. Now I do, thanks to you.