Gioachino Rossini.

Horn player Giuseppe Rossini and singer Anna Guidarini taught their son Gioachino instruments from an early age. He later attended the Conservatorio Giovanni Battista Martini in Bologna. His first opera was a major success, sparking demand for more works.

Rossini’s 1816 opera The Barber of Seville initially failed but later earned acclaim. In 1823 he became director of the Italian Opera in Paris. He ceased work and left for Italy, but returned to Paris in 1853 and stayed until his death in 1868.

Rossini married opera singer Isabella Colbran in 1822, for whom he wrote the title role in Elisabetta, regina d’Inghilterra and the role of Desdemona in Otello. They separated in 1837 when Rossini began a relationship with artists’ model Olympe Pélissier. He married Pélissier in 1846, the year after Colbran died. Rossini was known as a gourmet; the classic French steak dish Tournedos Rossini was created and named for him.

Rossini’s The Barber of Seville remains one of the most performed operas worldwide. He was honored with the Pour le Mérite for Sciences and Arts, the Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour, and the Order of Saint Stanislaus. He is remembered for his melodic genius and comedic operas.