Rossini for kids: his life, his music, and what to play first

Gioachino Rossini was an Italian composer who lived from 1792 to 1868. He wrote 39 operas, all before he turned 38. His overtures are fast, funny, and full of tunes that build from a whisper to a roar. The best first piece for a child is the finale of the William Tell Overture, the galloping tune that many people know from cartoons and westerns.

Quick facts

• Born: February 29, 1792, in Pesaro, Italy
• Died: 1868, near Paris, France
• Era: Romantic
• Played: piano, cello, and horn, and he sang
• Known for: The Barber of Seville, the William Tell Overture, and Cinderella

A leap-day birthday

Rossini was born on February 29. That date comes about once every four years, and he liked to joke about it. In his 76 years, he had only 18 leap-day birthdays.

The life in short

Rossini’s parents were musicians. His father played the horn, and his mother sang in opera houses. The boy grew up backstage.

He sang, played several instruments, and wrote his first opera while still a student. By 21, he was famous across Italy.

He wrote fast. He finished The Barber of Seville in about three weeks. The first night in Rome was a failure, with jeers and accidents on stage. The second night was a triumph, and the opera has stayed on stage ever since.

For years he wrote three or four operas a year. Then, at 37, after William Tell, he stopped. He lived almost 40 more years and never wrote another opera.

No one knows for sure why. He was rich and tired, and his health was poor.

He moved to Paris and became known for his dinner parties and his love of cooking. A beef dish, tournedos Rossini, is named for him. In old age, he wrote small pieces for his guests and called them “sins of old age.”

What the music sounds like

Rossini’s music sparkles. The tunes are quick and light, and singers have to fit a great many words into little time.

His trademark is the “Rossini crescendo.” A short phrase repeats again and again. Each time it is a little louder, with more instruments, until the whole orchestra is playing at full power.

Four pieces to play first

Finale of the William Tell Overture. A trumpet call, then a gallop. See the William Tell Overture listening guide.

Overture to The Barber of Seville. A slow start, then a tiptoe tune in the violins, then a long crescendo.

“Largo al factotum,” from The Barber of Seville. Figaro the barber brags that everyone in town needs him. Listen for his name, sung over and over, faster and faster.

The “Cat Duet.” Two singers perform a whole song on one word: “meow.” Another musician put it together from Rossini’s tunes, and it is often listed under his name.

Things to do together

Grow the crescendo. Play the overture to The Barber of Seville. Crouch low when the crescendo starts and rise a little with each repeat until you are on tiptoe.

Gallop. Play the William Tell finale and gallop around the room. Freeze at the last chord.

Say it fast. Pick a tongue twister. Say it at a slow pace, then faster, the way Figaro sings.

Meow a song. After the “Cat Duet,” sing “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” in meows.

Count his birthdays. Find the next February 29 on a calendar. Work out how old Rossini would be in leap-day birthdays.

Rossini at the opera

The Barber of Seville and his Cinderella are comedies, and some opera companies stage family versions of them. See opera for kids.

Print and play

Fill in a composer study notebook page for Rossini. For the way music grows from soft to loud, read dynamics in music for kids.

For more composers by era, see classical composers for kids.