Gioacchino Rossini

Gioacchino Antonio Rossini was born February 29, 1792 in Pesaro, Italy.

His father, Giuseppe Rossini, was a horn player and inspector of slaughterhouses.

His mother, Anna Rossini, was an opera singer. He learned to play the harpsichord and the

horn at a young age.Rossini was admitted to the counterpoint class

of Padre P. S. Mattel and after to that of Cavedagni for the cello. He learned to play the cello well and studied the works of Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Gioacchino Rossini

•It was during this time that he was composing a set of pieces for string quartet; in 1808, Orfeo, a cantata for the Liceo and a Sinfonia for orchestra; in 1809, a piece for the prize giving at the Liceo; as well as church music, and other vocal and instrumental works.•Between 1815 and 1823 Rossini produced 20 operas. •The production of his Guillaume Tell in 1829 brought his career as a writer of opera to a close.•He was a wealthy man, charming, witty and much in demand socially. •He died at his country house in Passy on November 13, 1868.

The opera is based on the heroic legend William Tell.Tell was an expert with a bow and arrow and lived in

the mountains of Switzerland.Tell refused to salute the ruler of Austria and was

ordered to shoot an apple of the top of his son’s head.William Tell did shoot the apple off his son’s head with

one single arrow.Gessler noticed that before Tell made his first shot

that he had taken two arrows out of his quiver.Tell answered,” If I had missed, the second arrow

would have been headed your way.” The overture itself is written in four distinctive

sections.

William Tell Overture

0 – 3:00This is the Prelude to the opera. It begins with a solo of the

cello playing very slow. It is then joined by other cellos and basses. Drum rolls start towards the end of this section to indicate an impending storm that is approaching. This section ends with the cello playing a very high note.

3:01 – 5:52This section is labeled The Storm and is a very strong

section. It is played by the full orchestra starting with the violins and short punctuations with the flute for three notes. As the storm breaks into full swing, all instruments are added and the trumpet is prominent and so are the cymbals. The volume and number of instruments decrease as the storm subsides. This section ends with the flute playing alone.

William Tell Listening Guide

5:53 – 8:34This section is called Ranz des Vaches (Call to the Dairy Cows.) It starts very slowly signifying the calm after the storm. The English horn starts first and plays alternating phrases with the flute. The triangle is added in the background. 8:35 – 12:00This section is the finale. It starts abruptly with the trumpet sounding the calvary charge. It is played by the full orchestra. The cymbals that are added give a dynamic feel to the piece. It gives you the feel that you are galloping on a horse. It slows a bit in the middle but comes back strong at the end with the addition again of the trumpets and then the cymbals. This is a strong piece to the very last note.

Till, Nicholas. Rossini. Omnibus Press, 1987Kendall, Alan. The Chronicle of Classical Music. London:

Thames and Hudson, 1994.Beyond the Lone Ranger: Rossini’s ‘William Tell’. NPR

2011. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?stor. (10/13/2011)

The William Tell Overture. Cincinnati Public Radio, Inc. 2011. www.classicsforkids.com/activitysheets/february2004.pdf (10/13/2011)

Rossini, Gioacchino. CD. William Tell. A Rossini Weekend. Universal Music Classics Group, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc. 1964.

Bibliography