Rauzzini was born in
Camerino. He made his opera debut in 1765 at the
Teatro Valle in Rome portraying one of the female characters in
Niccolò Piccinni's opera
Il finto astrologo. He sang at the
Teatro San Samuele in
Venice in 1766, after which he performed at the
Munich Hofoper in 1766–1767. He next sang at the court at Vienna in 1767 where
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart "reacted with delight when he heard Rauzzini singing and offered him the role of
primo uomo in his
Lucio Silla (1772), in Milan, before composing the motet
Exsultate Jubilate (1773) especially for him." Rauzzini returned for performances in Venice and Munich during the early 1770s and also had a very successful run in
London from 1774 until his retirement from the stage in 1778. After his opera career ended he worked as a singing and piano teacher and also composed a number of operas. He also became a famous singing master, teaching many of the most famous British opera singers of the day.
Joseph Haydn stayed with him in 1794 and composed the canon "Turk was a Faithful Dog" as a gift for his host, taking the words from the garden memorial to Rauzzini's favourite dog. Some of Rauzzini's pupils included
Stephen Storace,
Nancy Storace,
Michael Kelly,
John Braham Rosemond Mountain, and
Maria Dickons. Rauzzini directed and financed concert life in Bath from c. 1781 until his death in 1810; many of his pupils appeared in the subscription concerts that he organised each year. Before dying he published vocal exercises and a treatise on singing. Rauzzini was buried in
Bath Abbey where there is a memorial erected to him by his pupils Nancy Storace and John Braham. ==Operas==