The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-08-17
THE SWAN OF PESARO.
The Life and characteristics Of the
Composer, Rossini.

1
clan Of average talent, and his mother mighs
rank as one OF the worst Of singers, but she
was beautiful woman, and from her Clio
vaccnino inherited those personal charms for
which he was as much noted in his early
years as for his Intellectual gifts. He pos
sessed also q lovely voice, and it was his
mothers ambition that he should become q
great singer. She was very economical and
saved all she could Of their little earnings for
the purpose OF placing ner boy under good
maestro. She accomplished her object,
and at the age of eleven he was sent
| to study music In Bologna; but so rapid was
| his progress and 50 charming his voice, that
| he was soon able to earn more than his ex-
| penses by getting an engagement as q Choir
| lister, and It was predicted that he would be-
come the most marvellous singer Of the age
He soon, however, began to develop q talent
| for composition, and when he was about fif-
teen he wrote cantata which won him un-
/ bounded applause and obtained for him the
honor OF being appointed director 81 Gle 81
the finest musical academies Of Italy.
| When he was about seventeen he composed
| his first opera, which, although 1t created On
| immense furore at the time, has now ceased to
exist. The earliest Of Rossini's operas which
has come down 10 our day is Tancredi, which
was brought out at Venice the year 1878, when
its author was not yet twenty-ore It would
be impossible to convey an adequate idea of
the enthusiasm with which this production
was received. From the highest in the land
to the lowest gondolier, everybody sang
snatches from Tancredi. At the cafes, In the
open squares and narrow lanes, on the water
and on land, everywhere people would sing,
Ell rivedro, mi rivedrai;' it invaded even the
courts Of justice, where 1t was impossible TO
| keep silence. This air so bewitched every one,
that even III churches could be heard the
humming Of this refrain, and, as a compro-
mise, the clergy had the Ltany set to the air
| "Di tamil paIpiti," to which it is still sung In
some OF the country churhes Of Italy.
| In the spring OF 1918 1ancreM was pro-
| Rossini gave another masterpiece to the
Worid-the famous Italiana IN Aigeri." This
production vas greeted with an enthusiasm
| which exceeded even that reused BY Tancredi.
Before the Venetians had been only frantic
now they were delIrious When RossiHf ap-
peared in public every head was uncovered,
| and every voice greeted him with viva il
| bio della Musica." La fact, the Venetians de-
creed him all the triumph, except that OF tax
| ing the horses FROM his carriage, which they
| omitted for the simple reason that there are
no carriages In Venice
Just at this fnonnentous period OF mis- life
the young maestro having reached the age Of
cou5cr1ption, was summoned to enter the
army. Rossini felt little disposed to abandon
his musical triunphs and substitute mus
ket for the conductor s baton; absorbed In his
art, the struggles which eonvulsed a world
were OF no moment to him; his mind WAS
flied with the joyous strains OF .'PItaIiana in
Algeri" at the very time when upon the plains
| OF Leipzig were being enacted the earlier por
tons OF that tragic drama which had for its
| ienouernent the fall OF the first Napoleon.
Before the NapoEeonfc CONSUMPTION all men
were equal, all were alike regarded as food
for powder. The summons was imperative;
what was to be done? At this iuncture Ros-
SIM rsooileeted that the Rt, previous year tie
the utmost admiration OF his genius. Now
it WIS whispered that to this fair lady the
Viceroy Of Italy, Prince Eugene, could refuse
nothing. Rossini resolved at once to sit down
and write to her. Three days later the Vice
roy sent for his Minister OF the Interior, and
comm anded him to see that Gioyaechino EOs-
SIM should be exempted from military ser
vice. II dare not take upon me, he said, so
expose TO the balls OF the enemy so precious
an existence. It is perhaps only a second-rate
soldier we shall lose; but it Ia certainly man
Of unparalleled genius that we shall preserve
to our country" And with this the Prince
dismissed his minister, humming as ne did
30 an air from Taneredi
His works continued TO increase 10 popular
ity to that extent, that in Rome, while the
Teatro Della Vale, at which his operas were
represented, made q fortune, all the other
theatres were ruined. Driven to desperation,
the director OF the Argentina as q last re-
source threw himself at the fest of the ma
estro, inploring him to write an opera for his
theatre, and Offering what was then consider
ed a fabulous sum as It's price. RoSsini, who
had q weakness for the goods OF this world,
was pleased to comply, aad asked for the lib
retto, intending to set to work on it at once
But here was dilemma; the director had ten
or twelve li5rettoS ready, but the censor had
found liberal tendencies in all and refused to
permit any Of them to be represented There
was one way, however, in which the obstacle
might be overcome. Rossini could write
music for some piece which had already been
repre- sented, at first he objected strongly to
this novel proposal, but seeing no other way
by which he could win a sum as large again
as any he had yet received for an opera ne
consented, provided the permission Of the
original composer could first be obtained.
The piece the director fixed upon was ''fi
Barbfere de Sevigiia," the original music Of
which was from the pen o. Paesleiio. Until
Rossini came Paesiello had been by far tine
most popular composer in Italy, and his fame
had extended TO England and France, where
his operas were produced with great success,
bringing him very substantial compensation.
While at heart the old maestro loved no
music but his own, be Vas bitterly jealous Of
the triumphs achieved by Ills young rival,
and when applied to for perm issiod to repro
duce the 'Barbiere. his own masterpiece, he
freely consented, firmly Impressed that
he could not be beaten on MS own
field. He, however, wrote to Rosatni |
q most complimentary letter expressing his
conviction that the brilliant geri1s q tae
young com poser would enable him 10 invest
az old theme With new charms. BY THESE III /
sincere com piiments he disguised his real T
sentiments and awaited Ia q fever OF anxiety |
the representation OF the Lew BafDiere, /
fully expecting that its failure |oaid cause