Cesare Sterbini (1784 – 19 January 1831) was an Italian writer and librettist. Possessing a deep knowledge of classical and contemporary culture, philosophy, linguistics, he was fluent in Greek, Latin, Italian, French and German. He is best known as the

librettist A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major ...

for two operas by

Gioachino Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer of the late Classical period (music), Classical and early Romantic music, Romantic eras. He gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote man ...

: '' Torvaldo e Dorliska'' (1815) and ''

The Barber of Seville ''The Barber of Seville, or The Useless Precaution'' ( ) is an ''opera buffa'' (comic opera) in two acts composed by Gioachino Rossini with an Italian libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was based on Pierre Beaumarchais's French comedy ' ...

'' (1816). An official in the Pontifical Administration, he also set poetry to music as an

amateur An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, autodidacticism, self-taught, user-generated, do it yourself, DI ...

. He wrote the libretto to the opera '' Il Contraccambio'' to the music of Giacomo Cordella in 1819, and the opera '' Isaura and Ricciardo'' to the music of Francesco Basili in 1820.Cesare Sterbini http://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/cesare-sterbini_%28Dizionario-Biografico%29/ He died in Rome on 19 January 1831.

Libretti

*''Paolo e Virginia'', cantata, music by Vincenzo Migliorucci (1812) *'' Torvaldo e Dorliska'', dramma semiserio, music by

(1815). *''

'', opera buffa, music by Gioachino Rossini (1816). The libretto was also set to music by Costantino Dall'Argine (1868), Giuseppe Graffigna (1879) and Alberto Torazza (1924) *''Il credulo deluso'', dramma giocoso, music by Giovanni Tadolini (1817) *'' Il contraccambio'', dramma giocoso, music by Giacomo Cordella (1819). Set to music as ''La rappresaglia'' by Joseph Hartmann Stuntz (1819), Johann Nepomuk Poissl (1820), Francesco Cianciarelli (1822) and

Saverio Mercadante Giuseppe Saverio Raffaele Mercadante (baptised 17 September 179517 December 1870) was an Italian composer, particularly of operas. While Mercadante may not have retained the international celebrity of Vincenzo Bellini, Gaetano Donizetti or Gioa ...

(1829) *''Il gabbamondo'', dramma giocoso, music by

Pietro Generali Pietro Generali (born Mercandetti Generali; 23 October 1773 – 3 November 1832) was an Italian composer primarily of operas and vocal music. Generali was born in Masserano. He studied counterpoint with Giovanni Masi in Rome and spent a few m ...

(1819) *'' Isaura e Ricciardo'', dramma per musica, music by Francesco Basili (1820)

Notes

1784 births 1831 deaths Writers from Rome Italian opera librettists 19th-century Italian writers Italian male dramatists and playwrights 19th-century Italian male writers People from the Papal States {{Opera-bio-stub