Cesare Sterbini

Cesare Sterbini (1783–1831) was an Italian poet and librettist, best known for writing the librettos of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville and Torvaldo e Dorliska.

The Barber of Seville: An 1816 comic opera by Gioachino Rossini, set to a libretto by Cesare Sterbini. Sterbini’s best-known libretto turns Beaumarchais’s comedy into Rossini’s opera.
Gioachino Rossini: An Italian composer (1792–1868) renowned for operas including The Barber of Seville and William Tell. Rossini composed both operas for which Sterbini is best known as librettist.
Libretto: The text written for an opera, oratorio, or other staged vocal work. Sterbini’s role was to shape the words and dramatic structure Rossini set to music.
The Barber of Seville (opera): Gioachino Rossini’s 1816 comic opera, with a libretto by Cesare Sterbini. Its enduring performance history is the main reason Sterbini’s name remains familiar.
Torvaldo e Dorliska: An 1815 opera by Gioachino Rossini, with a libretto by Cesare Sterbini. This earlier Rossini collaboration shows Sterbini writing serious opera as well as comedy.
Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais: A French playwright (1732–1799) whose Figaro plays inspired several major operas. His Barber of Seville play provided Sterbini with the source for Rossini’s comic opera.
Opera buffa: An Italian comic-opera tradition featuring lively plots, social satire, and ensemble finales. The Barber of Seville belongs to this tradition, which informs the libretto’s comic design.
Figaro: The resourceful barber and schemer created by Beaumarchais and featured in operas by Rossini and Mozart. Sterbini helped establish Figaro’s operatic voice in Rossini’s widely performed adaptation.
The Marriage of Figaro: A 1786 opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, based on the second play in Beaumarchais’s Figaro trilogy. Its shared literary source links Sterbini’s Barber libretto to an earlier operatic adaptation.
Giovanni Paisiello: An Italian composer (1740–1816) whose 1782 opera The Barber of Seville adapted Beaumarchais’s play. Paisiello’s earlier setting made Rossini and Sterbini’s version a conspicuous revival of familiar material.

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