Vincenzo Bellini Composer Date of Birth: 03.11.1801 Country: Italy

1. Vincenzo Bellini - Biography
2. Operas
3. Style and Approach

Vincenzo Bellini - Biography

Vincenzo Bellini was an Italian composer born on November 3, 1801, in Catania, Sicily. He was the son of Rosario Bellini, the director of the local orchestra and a music teacher in aristocratic families of the city. Bellini completed his education at the Conservatorio di San Sebastiano in Naples, where he became a scholarship student. His teachers at the conservatory included Furno, Tritto, and Zingarelli.

During his time at the conservatory, Bellini formed close friendships with composer Saverio Mercadante and biographer Francesco Florimo. In 1825, after finishing his studies, he presented his opera "Adelson e Salvini." The opera, which remained on stage for a year, impressed the renowned composer Gioachino Rossini.

In 1827, Bellini achieved great success with his opera "Il pirata" at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan. In 1828, he met Juditta Cantù from Turin, with whom he had a relationship until 1833. Bellini was surrounded by numerous admirers, including prominent singers such as Giuditta Grisi and Giuditta Pasta, who became his renowned interpreters.

In London, Bellini's operas "La sonnambula" and "Norma," featuring Maria Malibran, were once again successful. In Paris, he received support from Rossini, who provided him with numerous pieces of advice while composing the opera "I puritani," which was exceptionally well-received in 1835.

Operas

• Adelson e Salvini (1825, 1826-27)
• Bianca e Gernando (1826, later Bianca e Fernando; 1828)
• Il pirata (1827)
• La straniera (1829)
• Zaira (1829)
• I Capuleti e i Montecchi (1830)
• La sonnambula (1831)
• Norma (1831)
• Beatrice di Tenda (1833)
• I puritani (1835)

Style and Approach

From the beginning, Bellini was able to sense his own originality. The experience gained from "Adelson e Salvini" not only brought him the joy of his first success but also allowed him to use many pages of the opera in his subsequent musical dramas such as "Bianca e Fernando," "Il pirata," "La straniera," and "I Capuleti e i Montecchi."

In "Bianca e Fernando," Bellini's style, still under the influence of Rossini, managed to create a diverse combination of word and music, characterized by their gentle, pure, and effortless harmony, which is also present in successful recitatives. The broad melodies and the structural foundation of many scenes, such as the first-act finale, which increases melodic tension as voices enter, showcased Bellini's genuine inspiration and his ability to breathe life into the musical fabric.

In "Il pirata," Bellini's musical language becomes deeper. Based on the romantic tragedy by Matthew Gregory Lewis, a prominent representative of horror literature, the opera was triumphantly staged, reinforcing Bellini's reformist tendencies, which included a departure from dry recitative and the creation of arias that were completely or significantly free from traditional ornamentation and branching out to depict the madness of the heroine Imogene, where even vocalizes were subject to the requirements of portraying suffering.

In addition to the soprano part, which included a series of famous "mad scenes," another important achievement of this opera was the birth of the tenor hero, performed by Giovanni Battista Rubini. This honest, beautiful, unfortunate, courageous, and enigmatic character became a staple in Bellini's works.

Bruno Calì, a passionate admirer and researcher of Bellini's work, wrote, "Bellini aspired to be the successor of Rossini, and he did not hide this fact in his letters. However, he was aware of the difficulty of approaching the complex and developed form of late Rossini works. Bellini, who was more experienced than commonly believed, already saw the vast distance between them during his meeting with Rossini in 1829, and he wrote, 'From now on, I will compose independently, relying on common sense, as I have experimented enough in my youth.' This statement clearly reveals his rejection of Rossini's refinement in favor of so-called 'common sense,' which meant a greater simplicity in form."

After the successes of "I Capuleti e i Montecchi," "La sonnambula," and "Norma," Bellini faced an undeniable failure in 1833 with the opera "Beatrice di Tenda," based on a tragedy by the Cremonese romantic poet Carlo Tenenti Forés. The failure can be attributed to the hasty work and the excessively dark plot. Bellini blamed librettist Felice Romani for the failure, which led to a rupture between them. However, the opera had significant merits, with superb ensembles and choirs and beautiful solo parts.

Overall, Bellini's work prepared the ground for his next opera, "I puritani," while also foreshadowing the style of Giuseppe Verdi. As Bruno Calì states, "Bellini dreamed of becoming Rossini's successor and did not hide this fact in his letters. However, he realized how difficult it was to approach the complex and developed form of late Rossini works. Much more experienced than he is commonly portrayed, Bellini already saw the vast distance between them when he met Rossini in 1829 and wrote, 'From now on, I will compose independently, relying on common sense, as I have experimented enough in my youth.' This statement clearly reveals his rejection of Rossini's refinement in favor of 'common sense,' which meant a greater simplicity in form."