This cavatina is one of the masterpieces of Bel canto and one of the greatest coloratura arias. Rossini drew on the second part of the aria “Quant'è grato all'alma mia” from his earlier opera “Elisabetta, Regina d'Inghilterra” (1815) for the part of the cavatina that begins with “Io sono docile” - in keeping with his usual practice, he had already “recycled” the overture from this opera for that of “Il Barbiere di Siviglia”.

“Una voce poco fa” is a veritable display of vocal fireworks: trills, arpeggios, scales and ornaments combine with a tight tempo to demand great technical mastery from the performer. In the great Bel canto tradition of the 19th century, a number of soloists, including Maria Malibran, added their own ornamentation to Rossini's melody, making it even more difficult.

Originally written for a contralto coloratura voice, its immense popularity led to it being frequently transposed for soprano (as in its French version) or even arranged for all manner of purely instrumental versions.

The son of musicians (his father played the French horn and his mother sang in fairground opera troupes), he taught himself singing and harmony in Bologna, under the tutelage of Abbé Mattei.
At the age of 18, he had his first opera buffa, “La Cambiale di matrimonio”, performed in Venice, soon to be followed by similar works (“L'Inganno felice”, “L'Occasione fa il ladro”...). By the age of 20, three of his operas had already been performed, and a year later the number had risen to ten.
In 1813, the premiere of “Tancrède”, also in Venice, opened the door to success and made him the undisputed master of the Italian operatic stage for many years to come. Works followed in rapid succession: “The Barber of Seville” and “Otello” in 1816, “La Cenerentola” and “Armide” in 1817, “La Donna del lago” in 1819, “Maometto II” in 1821, “Semiramis” in 1823... Between 1818 and 1822, he was artistic director of the Teatro San Carlo in Naples.
From 1824, he settled in Paris. He was appointed head of the Théâtre Italien, a position he held for two years, then Premier Compositeur du roi and Inspecteur général du chant en France. “Le Voyage à Reims” premiered at the Théâtre Italien on the occasion of the coronation of Charles X. Rossini reused some of the music in “Le Comte Ory” in 1828. His last opera, “Guillaume Tell”, premiered at the Paris Opéra on August 3, 1829, was a triumph.
In 1830, he gave up composing operas. He still composed a Stabat Mater, commissioned by a Spanish prelate, and a number of occasional pieces, as well as numerous chamber works, collected in a series of collections entitled “Péchés de vieillesse”, often tinged with humor.
From 1836 to 1848, he lived in Italy, before settling permanently in France, where he died in 1868.

Along his university studies (DEA in musicology, University of Paris IV-Sorbonne), Frédéric Cellier was awarded three first prizes and a development prize at the CNR of Nice and won first prize at the International Competition of Musical Execution - soloist category – of Stresa (Italy).
He is the laureate of the Fondation de France and the Yehudi Menuhin Foundation and accredited teacher at the CNR of Nice, the CNR of Marseille, and at the CRR Olivier Messiaen of Avignon (France).
Frédéric Cellier is the interpreter of Francis Poulenc’s Sonata for clarinet Bb and piano with Jean-Michel Damase, Jean Françaix or Gabriel Tacchino, but also performs his own version for clarinet, piano and string orchestra of George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in blue for Wynton Marsalis or under the baton of Adrian Gershwin, grandson of the composer.
Founder and artistic director of STRADIVARIUS Editions, he is the author of pieces of light music and a considerable number of arrangements in all styles and for all instruments acclaimed by numerous personalities in the music world:

"Frédéric Cellier has produced a number of adaptations of Georges Auric's works with such talent and precision that I consider them a natural addition to his chamber music catalogue."
Michèle AURIC - Georges Auric's widow

"To Frédéric Cellier, excellent musician and tireless arranger."
Jean FRANÇAIX - Composer and pianist

"Arranging a musical work is always a delicate and risky exercise, because it requires both modifying it so that it can be played by the desired instruments and preserving its very essence. But that is exactly what Frédéric Cellier has done, preserving the nuances, subtleties and soul of the original works while breathing new life into them.
His arrangements give all the musicians the chance to perform these compositions specially revisited for their instrument, and make music lovers rediscover them in a new light."
Adrian GERSHWIN - George Gershwin’s grandson

"Congratulations for your beautiful new orchestration and rendition of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in blue."
Wynton MARSALIS - Trumpet player, composer, bandleader, general and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, New York

"It is outstanding that Frédéric Cellier has managed to transpose Saxophone Marmalade from the saxophone to the clarinet. I thank him for it and wish its great and deserved success. "
Manuel ROSENTHAL - Conductor, composer and Maurice Ravel’s pupil

"I am very happy to tell you how much I appreciated your transcription of the Capriccio, based on Francis Poulenc's Le Bal Masqué. It perfectly reflects the spirit and verve of the score for two pianos that I had the opportunity to play and record with Jacques Février, and it was a great pleasure for me to premiere it in Montpellier."
Gabriel TACCHINO - Pianist, Francis Poulenc’s specialist

"I must tell you that I really like your transcriptions and that I think the tone of the instruments you have chosen suits perfectly our beloved composer."
Ornella VOLTA - Musicologist, president of the Erik Satie’s Foundation