From 1815 to 1823 Rossini wrote principally for Naples. But we have seen that he also worked for Bologna, Venice, and Milan; and he composed for the opera-houses of Rome, _Il Barbiere_, brought out at the Argentina Theatre, _La Cenerentola_, produced at the Valle Theatre, and _Matilda di Sabran_, performed for the first time at the Apollo Theatre. At the Fenice of Venice, Rossini's first opera in the serious style, _Tancredi_ (1813), and also his last in that style, _Semiramide_ (1823), were produced. For the Court Theatre of Turin Rossini wrote nothing. Each of the great Italian opera-houses made a point of bringing out at least two new operas every year; and as the minor theatres were also frequently supplied with new works there was no lack of opportunity for composers anxious to place themselves before the public. The composers were not liberally paid by managers--40_l_. was considered a fair price for an opera; while from the publishers they received absolutely nothing for the right of engraving. It has already been mentioned that Rossini never troubled himself about the publication of his works, and that he profited by the fact of their not having been engraved to borrow from his failures pieces which, had the scores been before the public, he must have hesitated to re-adopt. The operas of that day were in two acts; a division which, when the subject was an important one, scarcely conduced to the maintenance of dramatic interest. It was the custom of the time, however, to separate these two acts by a ballet; and thus kept apart they were not found so long, so interminable, as, performed one after the other without a break, our modern audiences would find them. CHAPTER VI. ROSSINI AT NAPLES. Barbaja, the ex-waiter at the Ridotto of the San Carlo Theatre, was director of the San Carlo itself, and almost at the height of his glory, which Rossini was so much to increase, when _Tancredi_ was brought out at Venice and _L'Italiana in Algeri_ at Milan.