Gioachino Rossini

Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer famed for his 39 operas, as well as many songs, chamber music, piano pieces, and sacred music. A child prodigy, he began composing by the age of twelve and wrote his first opera at eighteen. Rossini set new standards in both comic and serious opera before retiring from large-scale composition in his thirties. His withdrawal from opera for the last 40 years of his life remains a mystery, though illness and his financial success played roles. Rossini became known for his musical salons in Paris and his final major work was the Petite messe solennelle (1863).