Cinderella

opera by Rossini

Also known as: “La cenerentola”

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

June 24, 2026

Quick Summary

Gioachino Rossini's opera Cinderella (1817) is based on the well-known European folktale. The story features a mistreated youngest daughter, a supernatural helper, and a prince who falls in love with her and marries her. Rossini's opera, like many versions of the tale, uses a contralto for the heroine's role, though sopranos often sing it today. Rossini was a prolific Italian composer known for his operas, particularly comic ones like The Barber of Seville and Cinderella.12

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

2 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Gioachino Rossini
Italian period
There followed La cenerentola (1817; Cinderella). As with The Barber, this work uses a contralto for the heroine’s role (though both roles are often sung by sopranos); it proved no less successful. In between these two comedies came Otello (1816; Othello), a setting of William Shakespeare’s play that held the…
Read More
There followed La cenerentola (1817; Cinderella). As with The Barber, this work uses a contralto for the heroine’s role (though both roles are often sung by sopranos); it proved no less successful. In between these two comedies came Otello (1816; Othello), a setting of William Shakespeare’s play that held the…
Read More