Gioachino Rossini Italian composer noted for his operas, particularly his comic operas, of which The Barber of Seville (1816), Cinderella (1817), and Semiramide (1823) are among the best known. Of his later, larger-scale dramatic operas, the most widely heard is William Tell (1829). Gioachino
Bel canto, style of operatic singing that originated in Italian singing of polyphonic (multipart) music and Italian courtly solo singing during the late 16th century. Masters of bel canto included soprano Farinelli, tenor Manuel del Popolo Garcia, soprano Maria Malibran, and soprano Jenny Lind.