Gioacchino Rossini

Gioachino Rossini, a child of musicians, became Italy's foremost composer by age 20. He wrote numerous operas, including "La cambiale di matrimonio" and "La pietra del paragone." During his time in Naples (1815-1822), he composed several successful operas and married soprano Isabella Colbran. Rossini toured Europe to acclaim, settling in Paris in 1824 and retiring from opera composition at 37 after "Guillaume Tell." He remarried and spent his later years in Paris composing sacred music and smaller works. His comedic operas, like "Il barbiere di Siviglia," are genre cornerstones.