罗西尼(1792～1868年)

Rossini, Gioacchino (Antonio)

义大利作曲家。童年时在教堂唱歌及出演歌剧中的小角色。十二岁开始作曲，十四岁进入波隆那音乐学校学习，在那里主要创作宗教音乐。1812年起他以惊人的速度创作剧院作品。十五年中他一直主导了义大利歌剧的舞台。他的主要成功作品包括《阿尔及尔的义大利女郎》（1813）、《奥塞罗》（1816）、《塞维尔的理发师》（1816）、《鹊贼》（1817）、《摩西的埃及旅程》（1818）、《科林斯之围》（1826）和《塞米拉米德》（1823）。他的速度和冷淡态度使他看起来似乎显得随意粗心，但实际上并非如此。他创造的音乐规则一直主宰着义大利歌剧的形式直到威尔第的出现，而他的机智与运用新发明的能力则是无人可匹敌的。从1824年起他大部分时间都在巴黎度过，在那里创作了其杰作《威廉.泰尔》（1829）。1832年後他的健康状况不佳，鲜有作品，直到1868年问世了精彩的系列钢琴套曲与歌曲集《我晚年之罪孽》。

English version：

1792～1868年

Rossini, Gioacchino (Antonio)

Italian composer. He sang in church and in minor opera roles as a child, began composing at 12, and at 14 entered Bologna's conservatory, where he wrote mostly sacred music. From 1812 he produced theater works at a terrific rate, and for 15 years he was the dominant voice of Italian opera; his major successes included [opera]L'Italiana in Algeri (1813), [opera]Otello (1816), [opera]The Barber of Seville (1816), [opera]La Cenerentola (1817), [opera]Mosè in Egitto (1818), [opera]The Siege of Corinth (1826), and [opera]Semiramide (1823). His speed and nonchalant attitude made him seem more careless than he was; the musical formulas he devised would shape Italian opera until Giuseppe Verdi, but his wit and invention using them was unparalleled. From 1824 he spent much time in Paris, where he wrote his masterpiece, [opera]William Tell (1829). After 1832 his health was poor, and he composed little until the series of wonderful piano pieces and songs collected as [musiccomp]Sins of My Old Age (1868).