«Melodia semplice, ritmo chiaro»? Alcune (ri)considerazioni sul tòpos del crescendo rossiniano

Rossini’s crescendo is a sort of trademark of its author, an expedient copied – and abused – by generations of composers, because – apparently – it is easy to im­itate and it has a strong impact on the listeners. The mechanism that allows the real working of Rossini’s crescendo is much more ingenious and sly than we could think, absolutely not comparable with the famous aphorism “simple melody – clear rhythm” with which Rossini himself described his own way of composing. Starting from others scholars’ fundamental contributions (foremost, Philip Gossett), this article proposes an analysis of the functional characteristics that build the crescendo and which diversify it from other similar uses (for example, previous historical uses as in the “Mannheim school” or contemporary, developed by composers like Stefano Pavesi, Ferdinando Paër, Johann Simon Mayr and Giuseppe Mosca). Furthermore, it highlights the models that may have influenced Rossini within the field of Italian Opera and the Wiener Klassik of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and, above all, of Joseph Haydn).