Barber of Seville, The, is a comic opera in two acts by the Italian composer Gioacchino Rossini (see Rossini, Gioacchino Antonio). Its Italian title is Il Barbiere di Siviglia. The libretto (text), in Italian, was written by the Italian writer Cesare Sterbini and based on the French play Le Barbier de Seville (1775) by Pierre de Beaumarchais. Rossini's opera was originally called Almaviva, or the Useless Precaution, but its name was later changed. It was first performed in Rome on Feb. 20, 1816.