Gioachino Rossini And Neoclassicism

Introduction

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In this article, I would like to talk to you most practically and concisely possible about the figure of Gioachino Rossini, a composer from Pesaro. Popularly, he is not compared to the most relevant figures of the eighteenth century, such as Niccolò Paganini, because in recent years the idea that Rossini is a Romantic composer has appeared, closer to the operatic style of the various Puccini, Bellini, Verdi and so on. In reality Rossini was a man of the eighteenth century; of his works Paganini wrote:

[…] I assure you that if you had heard the last works of Rossini in Naples, other works by other masters would not have made any impression on you.

Niccolò Paganini, Letter to his friend Luigi Germi from “Paganini, Epistolario” (Edward Neill, 1982).

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Rossini’s aesthetics

Rossini (1792-1868) was among the composers of the eighteenth century who lived longer, despite his theatrical production being exhausted in a period of about twenty years. His aesthetics are usually ascribed to Neoclassicism, as can be easily deduced from the title of this article: this current aspired to an ideal beauty based on classicism and was characterized by the order, rigour and symmetry of its compositional geometries. Yet we are used to portraying Rossini as an explosive composer, not at all neat, impetuous and abrupt: in this regard, some authors operate an effective synthesis between these two oppositions describing the most unusual traits of Rossini’s works as a calculated disorder. Let’s think, for example, of vocal virtuosity, which was generally left to the freedom of the singers as a mere instrument of ornamentation: Rossini takes over the reins of a process hitherto performed or improvised on the spot by the singer and makes it an essential expressive instrument, indicating on the score himself to the singer what to do (practice until then rarely adopted).

Rossini’s Crescendo

With Crescendo Rossiniano we mean a rapid compositional transition from the piano to the fortissimo through the gradual expansion by octaves of the orchestral score. This expansion could correspond to a progressive entry of several instruments, which one at a time went to thicken the texture of the sound (we talked about the sound in a previous article that you find here), or a general increase in volume in those instruments that were born with the technical-dynamic possibility to implement it. The Crescendo Rossiniano generally had a point of maximum expansion, from which it then quickly withdrew. It has been included in almost all Rossini’s works: let’s see below the most important in a nutshell, skipping those encyclopedic notions that you could find everywhere online and offline.

Tancredi

The first opera by Rossini that is remembered among the manuals of History of Music is Tancredi, represented in 1813 and taken from the homonymous tragedy by Voltaire in 1760. The libretto by Gaetano Rossi testifies to the attempt to find a greater balance between the dramatic situation of the literary text and its relative rendering in music. As will happen in many cases, the overture of the opera was not composed by Rossini, but was taken from an earlier operatic score entitled La Pietra Del Paragone (by the same author). The composer from Pesaro was not particularly accustomed to using an original overture for each work: this was only to serve to communicate to the public, with a certain emphasis, that the work was beginning. The importance that this section of the composition will play in the following centuries is mostly foreign to the young Rossini. I leave you to listen to the complete work:

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Italian in Algiers

L’Italiana In Algeri is the opera immediately following Tancredi, and was also performed in 1813, just three months after the previous one. The success was resounding, considering that the opera was written in a period ranging from eighteen to twenty-seven days (to fill a hole in the theatre calendar). It is a comic opera whose characters are drawn from the stereotypes used by turquoise. I leave you to listen to the complete work:

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The Barber Of Seville

To understand the success that Il Barbiere Di Siviglia had when it was performed in 1816, it is enough to say that it is still today, in 2022, one of the most represented works in the world. To tell the truth, however, the success did not come immediately: during the first performance, we know that the opera was booed by the audience loyal to Paisiello, who before Rossini had set to music a Barber Of Seville. In fact, the subject was treated several times: at first by Paisiello himself, then by Morlacchi and finally by Rossini when Paisiello was still alive, albeit sick: ironically, he died in the same 1816. But Rossini did not write his own work looking the other way: he dealt in the first person with the legacy of Paisiello, whose work was still known and in circulation. He rewrote the character of Figaro, making it more vital, also from a musical writing point of view it presents particular rhythmic ease compared to the work of his predecessor (think for example of the sortie “Largo al factotum”). I let you listen to the complete work: below you will also find a banner with the orchestral score reduced to the piano, in an URTEXT edition that I highly recommend. Being able to play the entire Rossini score comfortably from your instrument is an essential experience. If you decide to order the paper score from the banner below, a small percentage of your purchase will go to support this blog.

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Guillaume Tell

With Guillaume Tell we name the last of the four best-known works of the composer from Pesaro: this represented a point of absolute compositional maturity. In fact, if we compare Rossini’s early works to Guillaume Tell, we notice a radical formal change in the compositional style. The overture, one of the most famous pieces in the entire history of music, is not attributable to any of the compositional procedures of overture commonly used by the composer from Pesaro. I leave you to listen to the complete work:

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Conclusions

For this article on Gioachino Rossini is everything, we will have the opportunity to explore the wonderful scores of this composer in the section of the blog dedicated to Musical Analysis. Do not forget to subscribe to our notifications through the appropriate email form, so as not to miss the next news on the subject: see you in tomorrow’s article!

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