il Barbiere de Siviglia (The Barber of Seville) of course tells the story of a man trying to woo a woman.  Not much different from many other operas.  But The Barber of Seville holds one claim to fame that none other has.  Whitman's first publishd critical review, was written on this opera.  On March 23, 1847, Whitman published a review of il Barbiere saying, "It [the opera] is always heard with pleasure: the instrumentation is beautiful, and has that clean, though rather old-fashioned character, in which his [Rossini's] delicate ideas produce effect, and not any overpowering crash of instruments."  (Faner, 41).
 
 

• "Largo at factorum"
• "Di si Felice innesto"

     Gioacchino Rossini was born in Pesaro, Italy, on the 29th of February (a leap year baby!) and died in Passy on November 13.  He may be the exemplary model of Italian opera writing, as he emphasized singing and the voice above all else (Faner, 30).  He is noted for writing flowing, rich melodies, prescribing exactly to the note what the singers were allowed to sing and refusing to tolerate any improvisation.  His work laid the foundation upon which countless others built, including Giuseppi Verd, and he is to be remembered as a forefather of modern opera. .
 

•  A Literary Analysis of "Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking"