Baltimore Opera Company

Study Guide

La Sonnambula
The Sleepwalker

About the Composer – Vincenzo Bellini

Born November 3, 1801, Catania , Sicily – Died September 23, 1835, Puteaux near Paris

Many of the oft-repeated narratives and anecdotes about Vincenzo Bellini stem not from his short lifetime, but were manufactured later in the nineteenth century by residents of his native Catania and by his close friend and confidante from student days, Francesco Florino (1800-88). Bellini's death, resulting from amebic dysentery (untreatable at the time), came as a shock to the general public, only eight months after the triumphant premiere of I Puritani and a few weeks after he appeared normal and healthy to Parisian society. His growing reputation over the previous ten years and his untimely demise just short of his 34 th birthday led to comparisons with composers Pergolesi (1710-36) and Mozart (1756-91), and with other Romantic figures who died young. Fables from mid-century Catania of his precocious musical talent and amorous exploits fueled the image of the doomed young genius, as did Florino's forgeries, suppressions and “reminiscences.” For more than fifty years, armed with selections from their twice-weekly correspondence detailing Bellini's years in Milan and Paris , Florino was the chief proponent of Bellini's music and manager of his reputation.

What can be documented from the early years is that Bellini was born into a family of musicians. His grandfather graduated from a conservatory in Naples and came to Catania as composer for the local prince. Bellini's father served as assistant, but his meager talent was overshadowed locally by the family patriarch, and later, intern ationally by his own first-born son. Around 1813, Vincenzo went to live at his grandfather's house, because of a growing family at home and for further musical instruction. While Bellini's formal education was largely confined to music (his letters show a poor knowledge of written Italian), he studied intently the polite society in which his grandfather worked. Throughout his life he was attentive to his dress, bearing and manners, to which he attributed his easy access to the upper classes wherever he went. These social skills proved beneficial to the aspiring composer, as the governor of Catania 's province, the Duke of Sammartino, ordered the city to provide Bellini with a scholarship to study in Naples . It was not mere coincidence that the Duchess of Sammartino's brother was a local aristocrat, for whom Bellini served as accompanist and with whom he spoke quite informally. The scholarship supported Bellini in Naples from 1819 to 1826, with the understanding that he would return to work in Catania or repay the money. Although the former never happened, the latter was never pressed.

At the conservatory in Naples , Bellini was initially assigned to the lowest class, but he rose quickly through the various levels of instruction. He became a student of the artistic director, Niccolo Zingarelli (1752-1837), a “grand old man” of Neapolitan opera who has since passed into obscurity. Zingarelli was clearly pleased with his student and made him a teaching assistant, or maestrino , and later his chief deputy, the primo maestrino . Bellini was also honored with the privilege of writing the graduation opera for 1825, Adelson e Salvini , which was performed by students in the conservatory theater. The success of this opera resulted in a commission from the Teatro di San Carlo, one of the large houses in Naples , and the new opera, Bianca e Fernando , was well received at the premiere in May of 1826. Bellini soon received an even greater honor, an offer from La Scala in Milan .

Bellini's third opera, Il Pirata , was produced at La Scala in October of 1827, and marked two significant events in his life and work; it was his first collaboration with Felice Romani, the librettist for the rest of his operas except I Puritani , and the popular success of Il Pirata firmly established Bellini in his career. For his few remaining years, Bellini made his living as a composer, without having to resort to teaching or producing opera to make ends meet. He was able to command a higher price for his work than was normal in Italy and, with his social graces, endeared himself to the upper layers of Milanese society, often living for months as the guest of the wealthy Cantù and Turina families. His interest in a Neapolitan girl he had intended to marry waned in the cosmopolitan city of Milan , and he eventually endeared himself a bit too much to a married woman of the Cantù family. Their passionate affair lasted from 1828 to 1834, and most of Bellini's letters to Florino from this period are lost or suggest a writing style that is not typical of the composer. Bellini was extremely candid in his correspondence with Florino about his activities, compositions, thoughts and feelings, and, as the affair eventually led to the woman separating from her husband, it is likely that Florino destroyed the originals to suppress material that would have been unflattering to Bellini's image. Bellini was based in Milan until 1833, during which time he wrote six more operas, including Norma in 1831, and supervised productions of his works in various places in Italy .

Bellini spent a dreary four months during 1833 in London , supervising difficult productions of several of his operas. While Norma did fairly well with the public, contemporary critical taste in Italian opera ran in the direction of Rossini to the detriment of Bellini's works. Like many Italian musicians, he complained of the climate in London , and, unable to speak English, it was difficult for Bellini to leave his rooms alone. At the end of the opera season he quickly left for Paris and two years later was still trying to obtain the second half of his contractual fee.

The move to Paris led to several successful performances at the Théâtre-Italien, and ultimately to the commission for I Puritani . He again found entrée to polite society, but the salons were difficult for him, as one had to speak excellent French to survive. Bellini was more comfortable with the Italians living in the neighborhood around the Théâtre-Italien or in relative seclusion in a borrowed home outside Paris . He formed a friendship with Rossini and met a number of other musicians and literary figures of the day. He was impressed with the cultural opportunities in Paris and deeply moved by his first opportunity to hear the music of Beethoven. The successful productions of his earlier operas and the sensational success of the premiere of I Puritani led to an appointment as a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur . Having reached musical maturity, a good degree of success and poised to go on to greater acclaim, Bellini began planning various musical projects in Paris and Italy, and he began actively looking for a wife, preferably a rich wife to secure his future finances. None of these plans came to fruition, however, as he became ill in early September of 1835 and died before the end of the month. One can only wonder what might have been had Bellini lived longer than his brief 34 years.

Rick Wilson

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