Jake Rossini stopped writing operas at age 37, and until the 1930s no one knew why. When his medical records turned up, it showed that a bladder condition had exacerbated his bipolar disorder, and the only thing that kept him from suicide was the love and attention of his mistress. After surgery, his condition was corrected, and Rossini returned to composing after 25 years of inaction. With Wagner dominating the operatic stage, Rossini decided to restrict himself to writing short characteristic piano pieces, which he labeled “Sins of My Old Age,” intended for “third rate pianists, of which I am one,” he said.
This is a short piece in E-flat where Jake attempts to recreate the sound of shepherd’s bagpipes out in the fields at night. Catch the wonderful chord changes that make up the piece.
Nice!
I was raised on Rossini Overtures (not the whole operas). My dad had a record album of Arthur Fiedler conducting the Boston Pops with six Overtures (3 on each side) in STEREO. It was one of his favorites.
Even with the 1930’s discovery of Rossini’s afflictions, the prevailing rumor persisted that he was inveterately LAZY.
Which is horribly unfortunate, as we all know now that Bi-Polar Disorder is a horribly debilitating disease.
My Favorite was “La Gazza Ladra” which was featured in ,of all things, the closing credits of the Beatles’ second movie, “HELP”.