Rossini was born in 1792 in Pesaro and died a celebrated composer in 1868. He is most known for operas such as the Barber of Seville and William Tell, but the prolific man made several more.
Rossini's parents were both musicians and he grew up with intimate knowledge of the opera. At 18 he wrote a one-act comedy to be performed in Venice, and this led to more commisions. His first opera was performed at La Scala in 1812 and was a great success. Eventually he got a position as a musical and artistic director of an opera theatre in Naples, but was allowed to write pieces for other houses as well. He went on to produce operas and more operas, both buffa and seria. Rossini's music is filled with beauty; all florid lines and vocal embellishments.
In 1822 Rossini married Isabella Colbran, a soprano for whom he wrote several operas. They moved to Paris the next year where Rossini enjoyed more success. His great masterpiece, the spectacular William Tell, was performed in 1829 and marked the end of his operatic career. Apparently nothing he made could ever compete with this. There may also have been other disturbances such as the revolution of 1830.
Rossini also became ill at some point and lost his wife in 1845 - needless to say he did not compose much. He married Olympe Pélissier the next year and with time got better, however. After a prolonged stay in Italy he returned to Paris in 1855 and started to compose again, mostly pieces for voices and piano. He called these his Péchés de vieillesse. He also wrote church music, including the Petite Messe solennelle. Rossini died in Passy, near Paris.
Rossini's operas and year of premiere.
Demetrio e Polibio (1812, Teatro Valle, Rome)
La cambiale di matrimonio (1810, Teatro San Moisè, Venice)
L'equivoco stravagante (1811, Teatro del Corso, Bologna)
L'inganno felice (1812, Teatro San Moisè, Venice)
Ciro in Babilonia or La caduta di Baldassare (1812, Teatro Comunale, Ferrara)
La scala di seta (1812, Teatro San Moisè, Venice)
La pietra del paragone (1812, Teatro alla Scala, Milan)
L'occasione fa il ladro or Il cambio della valigia (1812, Teatro San Moisè, Venice)
Il Signor Bruschino or Il figlio per azzardo (1813, Teatro San Moisè, Venice)
Tancredi (1813, Teatro La Fenice, Venice)
L'italiana in Algeri (1813, Teatro San Benedetto, Venice)
Aureliano in Palmira (1813, Teatro alla Scala, Milan)
Il turco in Italia (1814, Teatro alla Scala, Milan)
Sigismondo (1814, Teatro La Fenice, Venice)
Elisabetta Regina d'Inghilterra (1815, Teatro San Carlo, Naples)
Torvaldo e Dorliska (1815, Teatro Valle, Rome)
Almaviva or L'inutile precauzione - also known as Il barbiere di Siviglia (1816, Teatro Argentina, Rome)
La gazzetta or Il matrimonio per concorso (1816, Teatro de' Fiorentini, Naples)
Otello or Il moro di Venezia (1816, Teatro del Fondo, Naples)
La Cenerentola or La bontà in trionfo (1817, Teatro Valle, Rome)
La gazza ladra (1817, Teatro alla Scala, Milan)
Armida (1817, Teatro San Carlo, Naples)
Adelaide di Borgogna or Ottone, re d'Italia (1817, Teatro Argentina, Rome)
Mosè in Egitto (1818, Teatro San Carlo, Naples)
Ricciardo e Zoraide (1818, Teatro San Carlo, Naples)
Ermione (1819, Teatro San Carlo, Naples)
Eduardo e Cristina (1819, Teatro San Benedetto, Venice)
La donna del lago (1819, Teatro San Carlo, Naples)
Bianca e Falliero or Il consiglio dei tre (1819, Teatro alla Scala, Milan)
Maometto secondo (1820, Teatro San Carlo, Naples)
Matilde (di) Shabran or Bellezza e Cuor di Ferro (1821, Teatro Apollo, Rome)
Zelmira (1822, Teatro San Carlo, Naples)
Semiramide (1823, Teatro La Fenice, Venice)
Il viaggio a Reims or L'albergo del giglio d'oro (1825, Théâtre Italien, Paris)
Adina or Il califfo di Bagdad (1826, Real Theatro de S. Carlos, Lisbon)
Le Siège de Corinthe (1826, Théâtre de l'Académie Royale de Musique, Paris)
Moïse et Pharaon or Le passage de la Mer Rouge (1827, Théâtre de l'Académie Royale de Musique, Paris)
Le Comte Ory (1828, Théâtre de l'Académie Royale de Musique, Paris)
Guillaume Tell (1829, Théâtre de l'Académie Royale de Musique, Paris)
If any of these have been noded under a different title, please let me know.