The Barber of Seville

  • Almaviva, the Count (Tenor)
  • Fiorello, servant of Count Almaviva (baritone / bass)
  • Bartolo, the Doctor (Bass)
  • Ambrogio, servant of Bartolo ( bass)
  • Berta, Bartolo's housekeeper (soprano )
  • Basilio, the music master ( bass)
  • Figaro, the barber (baritone; Buffo )
  • Rosina (mezzo-soprano / soprano (depending on the listed version) )
  • Officer ( bass)
  • Notary Public ( silent role )

The Barber of Seville ( Original title: Il Barbiere di Siviglia ) is a comic opera in two acts by Gioachino Rossini. The libretto by Cesare Sterbini and is an adaptation of the play The Barber of Seville by Pierre Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais. In German-speaking countries it is also known under the title The useless caution ( L' inutile precauzione ).

History and world premiere

The opera was first performed on 20 February 1816 conducted by the composer at the Teatro Argentina in Largo di Torre Argentina in Rome under the title Almaviva o sia L' inutile precauzione. On August 10, 1816 it was performed in Bologna for the first time under the title Il Barbiere di Siviglia. The German premiere was on January 1, 1819 in Munich, the first performance in German language took place in Graz on May 27, 1819. The premiere of the opera was a fiasco; a stringed instrument players fell face forward when a string broke, a cat ran across the stage. In laughter, hissing, shouting and booing the curtain had to fall.

The opera was commissioned by the Teatro Argentina, remained less than 26 days for the preparation of Rossini. In order to finish the opera in such a short time, the composer worked numerous numbers from his earlier works. The famous overture about previously been used already in two other Rossini operas, Aureliano in Palmira and in Elisabetta regina d' Inghilterra.

In addition to Rossini's opera there is another, older setting of the substance by Giovanni Paisiello. His opera Il Barbiere di Siviglia in 1782 it was first performed in St. Petersburg and then played until about 1800 in the whole of Europe. Even if Paisiello's opera keeps coming up as a rarity on the board of opera houses and festivals, enjoys Rossini's work today far greater popularity and is considered a standard work of the international opera repertoire one of the most performed operas in the world.

Other settings of the substance derived from Friedrich Ludwig Benda (1776 ), Johann Abraham Peter Schulz ( 1786) and by Niccolò Isouard (1797 ).

The main characters of the barbers are also main characters who later settled in their life plot of the opera Le nozze di Figaro by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Lorenzo da Ponte after Beaumarchais La folle journée ou Le mariage de Figaro.

Action

Location: Seville. Time: Late 18th century Count Almaviva to his beloved Rosina approaches incognito under the name of Lindoro. The masquerade has two reasons: First, he wants to rule out that Rosina in love just because of its title, with him, on the other hand, in order to deceive the greedy Dr. Bartolo, who himself considered the rich Rosina to marry his ward. To enter the house of his mistress, the local barber Figaro advises him to trim, once as a drunken soldier and another time as a music teacher. In the first act - disguised as a soldier - it succeeds the Count actually, Rosina zuzustecken a love letter, in the second act - disguised as a music teacher - he takes her while singing lessons closer, and both confess their love. Almaviva plans then to free Rosina at night from the house of Bartolo, her guardian. But Figaro has its customer Dr. Bartolo already stolen the balcony key. Dr. Bartolo gets but of the escape plans wind and hurries off, on the one hand, to appoint a notary to marry Rosina quickly, on the other hand, to inform the guards to get arrested the " nightly hijackers " in the act. When the notary arrives, he is made to Almaviva using force of arms and money, and to marry him Rosina. At Dr. Bartolo's return with the guards, the Count is visible. Bartolo is finally compensated generously: the Count waived the dowry which would Bartolo pay as Rosina's guardian actually - but he has to share with Figaro the amount for that.

Instrumentation of Rossini setting

In shorthand: 2,2,2,2-2,2,3,0 Tp Sis. GC. Pf, Str Git

The autographs of the first edition ( Autograph edizione Lucca ISBN 88-7096-073-0 ) " in D" ( The overture, as " Sinfonia " means, however, is in E ), the following instrumentation of Rossini led ( in brackets the additional notes in Edition Dover ISBN 0-486-26019-4, first edition ):

  • 2 Flauti Fl. Ottavini Ot. (2 flutes with piccolo flutes)
  • 2 oboes; Whether. (2 oboes, 2 oboe with the found only in the overture )
  • 2 Clarinetti in Th, La, Sib; Cl. ( 2 clarinets in the vocal registers C, A and B listed )
  • 2 Corni in Mi, Sol, Do, Re, Mib, Fa; Cr. ( 2 Horns recorded in the voice types E, G, C, D, Eb and F)
  • 2 Trombe in La, Do, Re, Mib, Sib; Trb. ( 2 trumpets in A, C, D, Eb and B listed )
  • Tp ( pool - only in the overture used )
  • Sis. ( Triangle )
  • G. Cassa. G. C. ( Big Bass Drum)
  • Pf ( for Piano - Forte listed as Rezitativbegleitung in the basso continuo, in the performance practice mostly as a harpsichord)
  • Chitarra, Ch (guitar, only to accompany the first cavatina of Almaviva, often by the singer himself played)
  • Violini, Vni (first and second violins, in some of the pieces - divided for example, " La calunnia " and again in 1.1, 1.2 and 2.1, 2.2)
  • Viole, VIe ( violas )
  • Cellos, Vc. ( Cellos)
  • Contrabassi, Cb ( Double Bass )
  • Violin I: 4
  • Violins II: 3
  • Violas: 3
  • Cellos: 2
  • Basses: 1
The Barber of Seville (Paisiello) Bass (voice type) Shorthand for orchestra instrumentation Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart Operabase Integrated Authority File
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