The Barber of Seville (play) resigns himself. As a consolation he is given Rosine's dowry money to keep. Giovanni Paisiello's opera based on the play was first performed in 1782, but it is Gioachino Rossini's opera, "The Barber of Seville", premiered in 1816, that has better stood the test of time. Other lesser-known adaptions include those by Nicolas Isouard in 1796, Alexander Reinagle and Samuel Arnold in 1794, and Francesco Morlacchi in 1816. Figaro is inspired by the Commedia dell'arte character of Brighella, and like his predecessor he is a clever liar; moral and yet unscrupulous; good humored, helpful and brave, though somewhat embittered and
Gioachino Rossini in northern Italy. When Austria restored the old regime, Rossini's father was sent to prison in 1799, where he remained until June 1800. Rossini's mother took him to Bologna, making a living as leading singer at various theatres of the Romagna region. Her husband would ultimately join her in Bologna. During this time, Rossini was frequently left in the care of his aging grandmother, who had difficulty supervising the boy. He remained at Bologna in the care of a pork butcher while his father played the horn in the orchestras of the theatres at which his wife sang. The boy