Geltrude Righetti article by Stendhal, she wrote her famous memoir entitled "Cenni di una donna già cantante sopra il Maestro Rossini...", which includes an account of the première of "The Barber of Seville". Geltrude Righetti Geltrude Righetti (1793–1862) was an Italian contralto closely associated with the operas of Gioachino Rossini. (Her name is also sometimes given as Giorgi-Righetti or Righetti-Giorgi, Giorgi being the name of her husband.) Born in Bologna, she also studied and made her debut there in 1814. The following year she created the important role of Rosina in "The Barber of Seville" and in 1817 she was the first
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