[The music] remains a great vintage wine! It hasn't soured or grown flat; if anything, it has improved with age, as a good wine should. — Boris Goldovsky in "Accents on Opera"

The words used most frequently in describing the music of The Barber of Seville are verve or enthusiasm. There are few real 'songs', rather fragments which are repeated and changed and assembled in different ways. There are many duets and ensembles. Rossini has been accused of using too many ensembles, but the paucity of really good singers at his disposal may have forced him to do this. Several mediocre singers together sound better than when each sings individually. Rossini could write so rapidly because he continually reused themes from his earlier operas. He also "borrowed" from Haydn and others for The Barber of Seville. Where applicable, to show the extent of this borrowing, the original sources are indicated below.

Overture: There are reports of an overture with Spanish themes but, if it ever existed, it has been lost. The one now played was originally written for Aureliano in Palmira and then adapted for Elizabeth, Queen of England. In rewriting it for The Barber of Seville, Rossini returned it to its original form. While there are no themes from the opera in the overture, its gaiety and liveliness make it very appropriate for this quintessential opera buffa. As was customary at the time, it begins with a loud chord to let the audience know the opera is starting. It then has a short quiet section followed by one of Rossini's trademark crescendos.

Lo, bright in the sky: This simple sounding serenade, is actually very florid and difficult to sing. It was borrowed from Aureliano. Since this is our introduction to the Count, the aria is called a cavatina.

Largo al factotum: One of the finest examples of Italian humorous bass buffo arias, and certainly one of the greatest entrance arias for any character in any opera. The second part is a typical patter song. The role of Figaro was really the beginning of the high baritone voice later used so effectively by Verdi. Before that, there was little difference between the bass and baritone voices. Rossini himself frequently sang this aria at parties. (Some of the Italian words of this song along with various translations into English will be added shortly.)

The Letter: As is traditional in opera, when reading letters, the normal speaking voice is used.

If you are longing to know my name: In form, this is a canzone or canzonetta (song). Such folk-type songs are customary in opera buffa. While frequently sung in bel canto style, the verses, as written, are irregular and awkward, thus reflecting Almaviva's nervousness. During the first performance the tenor sang a Spanish song of his own. Rossini wrote the present song for the second performance. (Some of the Italian words of this song along with various translations into English will be added shortly.)

At the thought of that money: A volcano is introduced by the comic sliding of the strings and skips in the vocal line. At the beginning, the Count's phrases follow Figaro's but, in keeping with his station, are more dignified. The question and answer portion is accompanied recitative. In the duet at the end, since they have the same thoughts, they sing the same tune in thirds, that is, it is a similar duet. Note how the music mimics a drunken soldier at the appropriate time.

Number fifteen: Figaro sings on one note while the orchestra carries the melody. The duet at the end is a dissimilar duet. Figaro and Almaviva have different thoughts; Figaro thinks of the money he will make, while the Count dreams of love. These differences are underlined by different musical lines. (Compare this with the similar duet above.) Stendhal, himself a Frenchman, in praising this duet said, it was beyond all praise and that the end was fated to sound the death-knell of French grand opera that is, a new style had appeared. He added that it was the finest thing that Rossini had ever done, and therefore the best thing that had ever been written in the entire history of music.

A voice a little while ago: This aria is in two parts. The opening bars of the orchestra depict Rosina's fluttering heart. In the first, slow part (cavatina), she thinks of her admirer and her plans to win him. The faster second section, in which she describes her sweet and docile nature — but if she doesn't get her way she becomes a viper, — is a cabaletta, a coloratura tour de force, especially as she speaks of the cento trappole (one hundred tricks) she will play. It became the custom of singers to add even more to Rossini's ornamentation. When the famous diva, Adelina Patti, sang this aria at a party at which Rossini was present, he said, "Very nice, my dear, and who wrote the piece you have just sung?" (This famous quote has been misinterpreted to suggest Rossini was against singers ornamenting his work, but this is not the case). Rossina's second half came from Elizabeth, Queen of England. (Some of the Italian words of this song along with various translations into English will be added shortly.)

The Scandal: An example of musical onomatopoeia (something that sounds like what it is describing). It goes from pianissimo to fortissimo (extremely loud) in one of Rossini's most famous crescendos. In the beginning, the whispers of scandal are accompanied by 'buzzing' in the orchestra. During the words 'come un colpo di cannone' (like the shot of a cannon), the orchestra stops and then the bass drum (cannon) blasts forth on the next to the last note. Some of this aria comes from Aureliano in Palmira, another part from Sigismondo.

A doctor like me: Probably the most difficult of all patter songs. Early baritones found it so hard to sing that the composer Pietro Romani wrote a substitute, Without a sheet of paper. Although this was much inferior, Rossini had no objection. He was well aware of the limitations of many of the singers of his day. As a result, in the nineteenth century the original became virtually unknown. The song starts with boastful bluster in a recitative-like declaration, but soon erupts into faster and faster coloratura runs up and down the scale (roulades). Such rapid singing, while still pronouncing all of the words, is possible because of the many vowels in Italian words. The source was Il Signor Bruschino. (Some of the Italian words of this song along with various translations into English will be added shortly.)

Act I Finale: By definition, an operatic finale can contain no recitatives. It can be very long (in this case over twelve minutes), and contain an assortment of arias, duets and ensembles. It almost always ends with everyone on stage and, in the case of Rossini's comic operas, in mass confusion. During the singing of Frozen and immobile, it is customary to suit the action to the words by having most of those on stage freeze in position. Almost every Rossini opera buffa contains such a scene.

Peace, joy: Listen for the 'excruciating' violin coloration which accompanies 'Don Alonso'. Much of the dialogue is done in parlando, in which the singers speak, but in musical cadence, as opposed to recitative in which they sing in the pattern of normal speech.

The Lesson Aria: For many years it was the custom for Rosinas to substitute one of their favorite songs or arias for the one Rossini wrote. Patti frequently sang Home Sweet Home. This practice is frowned on today and the aria from the (imaginary) opera, The Useless Precaution, is performed as written by Rossini.

Bartolo's aria: Bartolo sings a song in 'the ancient style'. It is in the tempo of the minuet, a dance, and is a parody of the mediocre songs of the time. It also illustrates the difference between such music and that of Rossini's Lesson Aria, which was really quite revolutionary at the time. The Barber of Seville has sometimes been called the first modern opera.

Quintet: Note the slides in the orchestra as they tell Don Basilio that he is "as yellow as a corpse".

The old man looks for a wife: This aria has no real function other than to give an aria to the seconda donna, or second female character, who otherwise would only appear as part of the ensembles. Such an aria was called a sherbet aria because, while it was being sung, it allowed the audience to take refreshment. It was not important enough to command their full attention.

Thunderstorm: The storm scene gives Rossini an opportunity for another of his crescendos with this music depicting rain, thunder and lightning.

Ah, what an unexpected stroke: It is traditional to end a duet of this sort with a cabaletta, or final coloratura section. To satisfy this tradition, the lovers continue to sing in spite of Figaro's urging to hurry and, as a result, are too late to descend the ladder. Note how Figaro echoes the final notes of the lovers' duet in his comments. Almaviva once had an aria, Stop further resistance, which is frequently found on recordings but is almost never included in live performances. Since Rossini later used the melody for Angelina's spectacular final aria in Cinderella (Non più mesta), it is usually cut from The Barber of Seville.

This is a revision of an article originally written for San Diego Opera

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Revised July 2010
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