Barber of Seville Overture, The
Gioacchino Rossini (arr. William James Duthoit)
This work bears the designation Q. M. B. Edition no. 118. It may be found under its title in Italian, Il Barbiere di Siviglia.
General Info
Year: 1816 / 1940
Duration: c. 7:30
Difficulty: V (see Ratings for explanation)
Original Medium: Orchestra
Publisher: Boosey & Hawkes
Cost: Score and Parts – Out of print.
For availability information, see Discussion tab, above.
Instrumentation
Condensed Score
C Piccolo
Flute
Oboe
Bassoon I-II
E-flat Soprano Clarinet
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
E-flat Alto Clarinet
B-flat Bass Clarinet
B-flat Contrabass Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Bass Saxophone
B-flat Cornet Solo-I-II
B-flat Trumpet
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II
Bass Trombone
Euphonium
Tuba
String Bass
Timpani
Percussion, including:
- Bass Drum
- Crash Cymbals
- Snare Drum
Errata
- E-flat Alto Saxophone. 8 m. after reh. 1: Delete reh. 2
- E-flat Alto Saxophone. 9 m. after reh. 1: Add reh. 2
- E-flat Alto Saxophone. 9 m. after reh. 1, beat 3: Add eighth rest
- Drums. m.4: 16 measure rest should read 6 measure rest
- Drums. 4 m. before reh. 9 to reh. 9: Decrescendo should read crescendo
Program Notes
It is true that one of the world’s best known overtures was not originally written for the opera that it introduces. Rossini originally staged the opera under a different title in order to avoid confusion with a better known version of the Barber of Seville. During a revival a year later under its current title, Rossini reused the overture from his opera Aurelia in Palmyra for The Barber of Seville. Since Rossini did not use themes from the opera in his overtures, reusing material provided saving of time and effort for Rossini. Nonetheless, the Barber of Seville Overture dramatically sets the mood for an opera that Rossini described as ”the most beautiful opera buffa there is.”
- Program Notes from Heritage Encyclopedia of Band Music
The Barber of Seville, or The Useless Precaution is an opera buffa in two acts by Gioachino Rossini with an Italian libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was based on Pierre Beaumarchais's French comedy Le Barbier de Séville (1775). The première of Rossini's opera took place on 20 February 1816 at the Teatro Argentina, Rome.
Rossini's Barber has proven to be one of the greatest masterpieces of comedy within music, and has been described as the opera buffa of all "opere buffe". Even after two hundred years, it remains a popular work.
- Program Note from Wikipedia
Media
- Audio CD: U.S. Navy Band (Ralph M. Gambone, conductor - 2006
- Audio CD: United States Army Field Band (Finley Hamilton, conductor) – 2003
State Ratings
- Maryland: V
- New York: Concert Band V
Performances
To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project
- Iowa State University (Ames) Symphonic Band (Tyler Bainter, conductor) – 16 February 2018
- Lafayette College (Easton, Penn.) Concert Band (Kirk O'Riordan, conductor) – 12 December 2015
- United States Army Field Band (Washington, D.C.) I (Finley Hamilton, conductor) – 17 December 2003 (2003 Midwest Clinic)
Works for Winds by This Composer
Adaptable Music
- William Tell Overture (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Stanton) (1829/2009)
- William Tell Overture (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Thorp) (1829/2005)
All Wind Works
- Barber of Seville (arr. Meyrelles) (1816/1899)
- The Barber of Seville (arr. Williams) (1816/2005)
- Barber of Seville Overture (arr. Lake) (1816/1927)
- The Barber of Seville Overture (arr. Duthoit) (1816/1940)
- The Barber of Seville Overture (arr. Singleton) (1816/2002)
- Figaro in Stereo (adapt. Yoder) (1970)
- Il Barbiere di Siviglia (arr. Cesarini) (1816/2011)
- Inflammatis from "Stabat Mater" (arr. Laurendeau and Meyrelles) (1842/1911)
- Introduction, Theme and Variations (arr. Tamanini) (1819/2017)
- Italian en Argel
- Italian in Algiers (arr. Cailliet) (1952)
- La Boutique Fantasque (arr. Respighi; tr. Mahaffey) (2009)
- La Boutique Fantasque (adapt. Respighi; arr. Godfrey) (1922)
- La Cenerentola (arr. Daehn) (1817/2007)
- La Danza (arr. Erickson) (1835/1967)
- La Gazza Ladra (tr. Cailliet) (1817/1954)
- La Gazza Ladra (arr. Molenaar) (1817/2000)
- L'italiana in Algeri (tr. Sedlak; ed. Lonoce) (1813/1992)
- L'italiana in Algeri (tr. Van der Beek) (1813/2008)
- March for the Sultan Abdul Medjid (arr. Townsend) (1851/1967)
- Overture from the Opera "La Gazza Ladra" (arr. Oliver) (1817)
- Overture to "The Barber of Seville" (arr. Boll) (1816/2013)
- Overture to "The Barber of Seville" (arr. Sedlak) (1816/1983)
- Overture to "The Italian Girl in Algiers" (arr. Cailliet) (1813/1952)
- Overture to "The Italian Girl in Algiers" (tr. Mose-Tobani; arr. Laurendeau) (1813/1898/1947)
- Passo a sei (tr. Dunnigan)
- Scherzo for Band (scored by Schaefer) (1864/1977)
- Semiramide (arr. Safranek; ed. Robertson) (1823/1939)
- Soirées musicales (arr. Britten and Brown) (1830-1835/1946)
- String Quartet No. 1
- Tancredi Overture (tr. Falcone) (1813/1975)
- Three Marches for the Marriage of the Duke of Orléans (ed. Townsend) (1827/1972)
- Una Voce Poco Fa from "Barber of Seville" (arr. Barrow) (1816/1973)
- William Tell Overture (arr. anon) (1829)
- William Tell Overture (arr. Elkus) (1829/1988)
- William Tell Overture (arr. Griffin) (1829/)
- William Tell Overture (arr. Leidzen; ed. Fry) (1829/1938/2007)
- William Tell Overture (tr. Sousa and Schissel) (1829/2014)
- William Tell Overture (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Stanton) (1829/2009)
- William Tell Overture (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Thorp) (1829/2005)
Resources
- The Barber of Seville, Wikipedia Accessed 16 February 2018
- Heritage Encyclopedia of Band Music. "Giacchino Rossini." Accessed 28 June 2015*
- Rossini, G.; Duthoit, W. (1940). The Barber of Seville: Overture [score]. Boosey & Hawkes: London.
- Smith, Norman E. (2002). Program Notes for Band. Chicago: GIA Publications, pp. 519.