Opera has a unique place in American culture. The average person can probably name only a handful of opera titles, but anyone with access to films, television, radio, or the internet can’t help but have heard some famous passages of opera music. People may not know the titles of great operatic music, but the strains of Mozart’s amazingly high “Queen of the Night” aria and Bizet’s bold “Toreador Song” are undeniably recognizable.
Another is the beloved baritone aria “Largo al factotum” from “The Barber of Seville” (“Il Barbiere di Siviglia”), composed by Gioachino Rossini in 1816. Figaro, the titular barber, describes how everyone calls on him, with challengingly quick-paced repetitions of “Figaro, Figaro, Figaro.” Affectionately dubbed “Barber,” the opera is one of the most frequently performed.
The Play
The story “The Barber of Seville” originated in a play written by Pierre Beaumarchais in 1775. It was a French comedy and the first play in a trilogy. The second play in this trilogy is “The Marriage of Figaro,” which was immortalized by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s operatic setting.But long before Figaro marries a fellow servant at Count Almaviva’s estate, he’s the wily barber of Seville, helping the young count woo his beloved Rosina, the ward of Dr. Bartolo. This elderly physician has nefarious plans to marry the lovely young woman for her large dowry.
Two Adaptations
“The Barber of Seville” has been adapted as an opera several times. The earliest successful version was composed by Giovanni Paisiello with a libretto (Italian lyrics) by Giuseppe Petrosellini. It was first performed in 1782 in St. Petersburg, and its popularity quickly spread throughout Europe.Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart saw it in 1785. The composer saw no point in competing with Paisiello’s success, and wrote his famous opera based on its sequel. Opera scholars have found stylistic parallels between Paisiello’s and Mozart’s scores. A few decades later, however, another composer dared to challenge the reigning barber opera with a new adaptation.
In 1816, Gioachino Rossini wrote to Paisiello asking for permission to write his own version of “The Barber of Seville.” This was an interesting formality, perhaps intended to show respect, since at least two other composers had adapted the work since Paisiello’s version debuted.
Confident that nothing could challenge his masterpiece, Paisiello gave his permission to the young composer. Rossini proceeded with his composition, using a libretto by Cesare Sterbini. Rossini supposedly composed the opera in only three weeks, although he reused the overture from two of his earlier operas.
Despite Paisiello’s certainty that the new work couldn’t compete with his, his friends and fans wanted to be sure that the upstart didn’t succeed. On opening night of Rossini’s opera, the audience was filled with hecklers. They booed, jeered, and goaded the rest of the audience into rejecting the work.
Despite a disastrous premiere, the next night proved much more successful. Open-minded audiences soon began to appreciate the new adaptation on its own merit. Although Paisiello’s work didn’t disappear from the repertoire immediately, Rossini’s version quickly eclipsed Paisiello’s.
It was indeed Rossini’s version that stood the test of time. While Paisiello’s “Barber” has been revived only a few times, Rossini’s has remained one of the most frequently performed operas for over two centuries.
Comparing the Operas
It’s not uncommon for more than one classical opera to be based on the same story. The reason that Paisiello and Rossini were in such direct competition is that their operas were not based on an ancient myth, a folk tale, or an old book. Their works were both closely based on a very recent play.The two operas’ libretti are very similar. Even the choice of voice types for the characters are similar. In both operas, a tenor plays the Count, Figaro is a baritone, Bartolo is a buffo bass (a light, agile bass voice), and Basilio (Rosina’s music teacher) is a bass. Rossini’s use of a buffo bass as the wily doctor particularly irritated Paisiello, who did not like buffo bass.
The main difference in terms of voice types is Rosina. A soprano plays her in the Paisiello version. The range is much more complex in Rossini’s, since Rosina usually is listed as a contralto or mezzo-soprano (lower female voice types), but her famous aria, “Una voce poco fa,” includes impressive high notes. For that reason, it’s often considered a mezzo coloratura (a term used for high, agile soprano voices).
Although the libretti are very similar, the key difference is that Paisiello’s stayed even closer to the Beaumarchais plot. He included a few elements that Rossini omitted. For instance, the Count believes Rosina to be Bartolo’s wife when the Count follows her to Seville, and Paisiello’s doctor is wilier than Rossini’s.
Each “Barber” opera has a lot to offer: beautiful music in each of their unique styles and a big dose of comic genius. With the number of opera companies in existence today, there doesn’t have to be just one barber who sings in Seville.
