Gioachino Rossini's 220th birthday marked with Google doodle

Rossini, who was born on February 29, 1792 in the Papal States in Italy, composed William Tell as well as the comic operas The Barber of Seville and Cinderella. The son of a trumpeter, Rossini became a conductor when he was no longer able to sing after his voice broke. He learned the violin, horn and harpsichord by the aged of 15 and wrote his first opera, The Bill of Marriage, in 1810 at the age of 18. Rossini visited London in 1823 where he met King George IV and conducted concerts. Back in Paris, he composed a cantata – The Journey to Reims – for the coronation of Charles X.
 He died in the city aged 76.