Gioachino Rossini was born in 1792 in Pesaro, Italy and died in 1868 at his villa in Passy, France.

Rossini is famous for writing 39 chart-topping operas. He is also famous for walking away from composing at age 37, even though he was contracted to write four more operas for the Paris Opéra.

Guilliame Tell, known in English as William Tell, was the last opera that Rossini ever wrote. After the premiere took place in Paris in 1829, Rossini packed his bags and returned to Italy, where he lived for over twenty years. Rossini returned to Paris in 1855, for medical reasons, and remained in France for the rest of his life.

The Vivace from Overture to William Tell is known the world over. It has been used as a soundtrack for cartoons, TV shows, movies and even as a ringtone for mobile phones. The violin part requires players to use ricochet, a technique that involves letting the bow bounce repeatedly on a string after it is initially “dropped”.