Le Rossiniane (opus 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124)

Mauro Giuliani’s Rossiniane, published between 1821 and 1828, are a series of six musical potpourris entirely based on the music of Gioachino Rossini. The potpourri was one of the most popular instrumental genres of the early 1800s, an assembly of musical themes with different origins combined into a single composition. In the absence of the modern means of reproducing music, they had a very important function: of bringing music, most often created for the theatre, into the home. Some important points can be deduced from Giuliani’s epistolary exchanges: the first is that the Rossiniane were part of his own concert repertoire: the second is that Rossini was not only aware of the project which would bear his name, but also collaborated with Giuliani in some ways, providing him with some themes expressly composed for his works. The third is that Giuliani was well aware that these pieces represented a new development for his own compositions and for the musical panorama of the time, “a hitherto-unknown style”. This edition of the Rossiniane is based on the contemporary musical sources that have come down to us. It is enhanced by some remarks on interpretation that should help towards making an accurate and coherent reading of this distinctive and original musical text.