Barbiere di Siviglia, Il

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Barbiere di Siviglia, Il (The Barber of Seville).
1. opera buffa in 2 acts by Rossini, to lib. by Sterbini based on Beaumarchais's comedy (1775). To differentiate it from Paisiello's opera of the same name it was called Almaviva, ossia L'inutile precauzione (Almaviva, or the Useless Precaution) at its f.p. (Rome 1816). Perf. London 1818, NY 1819. The famous ov. had already been used by Rossini for 2 other operas (Aureliano in Palmira and Elisabetta, Regina d'Inghilterra).

2. Paisiello's opera is in 4 acts to a lib. by Petrosellini. Prod. St Petersburg 1782, London 1789, New Orleans 1805. Several modern revivals.

3. Operas on this subject were also comp. by Elsperger (1783), Benda (1785), Schulz (1786), Morlacchi (1816), and Graffigna (1879).