Norwich bulletin., 1922-10-19
FAMOUS MUSICIANS
RossINT.

The peculiarly elastic allegiance of a weak father during the French and Alts- trian invasion of Italy made it possible for Gioacchino Rossini to be given to the world as one of it's greatest composers. But for the fortunes of war the young man might have been drug clerk or an oil merchant. Such was his own esti- mate of the vagariesN of life.
 This child ot opera, who gave Will iaIE TelF' to the operatic state was horn on Feb. 29, I792, and, being a leap year child, was able, to say. laughingly when he had reached the age of 60 that he was only IS. Pesaro; seaport town belonged to the Rompagna, which gave Pope Innocent II and a few other great men to history, and was his birthplace. There his father was the lowii trumpet CT who led al parades ami blew his horn noisily when the town dads were about to assemble.
 As a matter of fact he was os noble descent, but he did not know it. When the invasion came and Father Itossini was unable to change faces with the wind, he was thrown in prison by re turning conquerer, and Madame RossiRi was forced to work for herself and lit tie son as a priTna donna muffa1a sort of glorified cabaret singer who sold her talents to operas, country fairs and car nivals
 While she was awaI little Rossini was left in the care of a poet butcher When he grew older and his father was released from prison, the elder Rossini. taught him to blow a horn, and then sent him to a music teacher. The teacher was bad, the boy made no pro- gress and his father called him lazy. For punishment, he was sent to work ill blacksmith shop where he pulled the bel t.aR -1. CT in a poor priest, and at 10 was able to sing in church choirs, for which, at this age he began earning 10 cents for each service. He was only 12 when he sang the part of Little Adolfo,' in La Cammilla' which had been revived at Bologna. Even as child he developed such skill at the piano and in reading complicated scores that he was given l leading work,
 1 One day he pushed aside his work and said ''To the mischief with it. His father, hearing him say that he would be a, composer, kicked him out, of the house with the angry rebuke:
 You might have become the first l trumpeter of the Kingdom, and you will be nothing but the poorest composer l in Italy.
 But young Rossini had both personal ity and friends, and the latter taught l him as he advanced in years. The Countess Olimpa Porticari procured his admission to the Communal Lyceum al Bologna, where he associated with foll of better. attainments. But he would noi drudge and it cannot be said that ht ever got scientific musical education | His own land was under the spell of tn, foreigner, and German composers wef' looming to write Italian operas
 His first opera was an unconscious
 effort. When he was 14 he was asked to set various verses to music. A
 first solo, then duet, and next
 trio. At the end he had created
 "Demetrio e Poliblo,'' which wa
 patched together six years later and es tablished his success.
 The audience of laughing at a son.
 by the mistress of the Marquis Cavalli j master of two important theatres, le , to his being threatened with jail D,
 the marquis, who was so amused a his explanation that he let him writ
 the next opera he produced, for which got $40. Then followed long series c 3 compositions, of all classes, and in th
 next 14 years he ground out 30 operai
 and he did not seruple to life a bit of an
 others work as he went along.
 Tancred'' brought him his first rer utation outside of Italy, and he pro gressed to the post of director at tn t San Carlo opera at 200 ducats and
 share of the gambling privileges, whic
 attached to the opera. He wrote th {, Barber of Seville in 1S days. LOT :. don invited him. feted him, and paid hi q a fortune. He had married Mile. Co 2 bran in 1921, and retired on the fruit 0 of his English fortune to live near Pari
 where he declined to work, saying tfs
 he did not need any more money an < was .stoo lazy He died in 1888.