Vincenzo Bellini

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Vincenzo Bellini

Vincenzo Salvatore Carmelo Francesco Bellini (3 November 1801 – 23 September 1835) was an Italian

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
opera

Opera

Opera is an Performing arts in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work which combines a text and a musical score. Opera is part of the Western classical music tradition....
composer

Composer

A composer is a person who creates music, usually in the medium of musical notation, for interpretation and performance. The level of distinction between composers and other musicians varies, which affects issues such as copyright and the deference given to individual interpretations of a particular piece of music....
. Known for his flowing melodic lines for which he was named "the Swan of Catania", Bellini was the quintessential composer of Bel canto

Bel Canto

Bel Canto may refer to:*Bel canto, a opera term that literally means "beautiful singing"*Bel Canto , a novel by Ann Patchett*Bel Canto , a Norwegian pop/electronica band...
opera.

in Catania

Catania

Catania is an Italy city on the east coast of Sicily facing the Ionian Sea, between Messina and Syracuse, Sicily. It is the capital of the Province of Catania, and with 298,957 inhabitants it is the second-largest city on the island....
, Sicily

Sicily

Sicily is an Autonomous regions with special statute of Italy. Of all the regions of Italy, Sicily covers the largest land area at 25,708 km? and currently has just over five million inhabitants....
, Bellini was a child prodigy from a highly musical family and legend has it he could sing an aria of Valentino Fioravanti

Valentino Fioravanti

Valentino Fioravanti was a celebrated Italian composer of opera buffas.One of the best opera buffa composer between Cimarosa and Rossini. He was especially popular in Naples, and was the first in Italy to introduce spoken dialogue in the French manner in his works, sometimes using the Napolitan dialect....
at eighteen months, began studying music theory

Music theory

Music theory is the field of study that deals with how music works. It examines the language and notation of music. It identifies patterns that govern composer techniques....
at two, the piano

Piano

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Encyclopedia

Vincenzo Salvatore Carmelo Francesco Bellini (3 November 1801 – 23 September 1835) was an Italian

Italy

Opera

Opera is an Performing arts in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work which combines a text and a musical score. Opera is part of the Western classical music tradition....
composer

Composer

Bel Canto

Bel Canto may refer to:*Bel canto, a opera term that literally means "beautiful singing"*Bel Canto , a novel by Ann Patchett*Bel Canto , a Norwegian pop/electronica band...
opera.

Life

Born in Catania

Catania

Sicily

Valentino Fioravanti

Music theory

Music theory is the field of study that deals with how music works. It examines the language and notation of music. It identifies patterns that govern composer techniques....
at two, the piano

Piano

The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard instrument. Widely used in Western music for solo performance, ensemble use, chamber music, and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to musical composition and rehearsal....
at three, and by the age of five could, apparently, play well. His first composition is said to have dated from his sixth year. Regardless of the veracity of these claims, it is certain that Bellini grew up in a musical household and that a career as a musician was never in doubt.

Having learned from his grandfather, Bellini left provincial Catania in June 1819 to study at the conservatory in Naples

Music Conservatories of Naples

The Music Conservatories of Naples The current music conservatory in Naples is San Pietro a Maiella ....
, with a stipend from the municipal government of Catania. By 1822 he was in the class of the director Nicolò Zingarelli

Niccolò Antonio Zingarelli

Niccol? Antonio Zingarelli was an italy composer, chiefly of opera....
, studying the masters of the Neapolitan school and the orchestral works of Haydn

Joseph Haydn

Joseph Haydn was an Austrians composer. He was one of the most prominent composers of the classical music era, and is called by some the "Father of the Symphony" and "Father of the String Quartet"....
and Mozart

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Mozart showed prodigious ability from his earliest childhood in Salzburg. Already competent on keyboard and violin, he composed from the age of five and performed before European royalty; at seventeen he was engaged as a court musician in Salzburg, but grew restless and traveled in search of a better position, always...
. It was the custom at the Conservatory to introduce a promising student to the public with a dramatic work: the result was Bellini's first opera Adelson e Salvini
Adelson e Salvini

Adelson e Salvini is a three act opera semiseria composed by Vincenzo Bellini and first performed at the Music Conservatories of Naples in Naples on February 12 1825....
an opera semiseria that was presented at the Conservatory's theater. Bellini's next opera, Bianca e Gernando, met with some success at the Teatro San Carlo, leading to an offer from the impresario Barbaia for an opera at La Scala. Il pirata
Il pirata

Il pirata is an opera in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini to an Italian language libretto by Felice Romani from a French translation of the tragic play Bertram, or The Castle of St Aldobrando by Charles Maturin....
was a resounding immediate success and began Bellini's faithful and fruitful collaboration with the librettist and poet Felice Romani

Felice Romani

Felice Romani was an Italy poet and scholar of literature and mythology who wrote many librettos for the opera composers Gaetano Donizetti and Vincenzo Bellini....
, and cemented his friendship with his favored tenor Giovanni Battista Rubini

Giovanni Battista Rubini

Giovanni Battista Rubini was an Italian tenor, as famous in his time as Enrico Caruso in a later day. His ringing and expressive coloratura dexterity in the highest register of his voice, the tenorino, inspired the writing of operatic roles which today are almost impossible to cast....
, who had sung in Bianca e Gernando.

Bellini spent the next years, 1827–33 in Milan, where all doors were open to him. Sparking controversy in the press for its new style and its restless harmonic shifts into remote keys, La straniera
La straniera

La straniera is an opera in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini, from a libretto by Felice Romani, based on L'?trang?re by Charles-Victor Pr?vot, vicomte d'Arlincourt....
(1828) was even more successful than Il pirata, and allowed Bellini to support himself solely by his opera commissions. The composer showed the taste for social life and the dandy

Dandy

A dandy is a man who places particular importance upon physical appearance, refined language, and leisurely hobbies. Historically, especially in late 18th- and early 19th-century United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, a dandy, who was self-made, often strove to imitate an aristocratic style of life despite coming from a middle-class...
ism that Heinrich Heine

Heinrich Heine

Christian Johann Heinrich Heine was a journalist, essayist, and one of the most significant German literature German Romanticism poets. He is remembered chiefly for selections of his lyric poetry, many of which were set to music in the form of lieder by German composers....
emphasized in his literary portrait of Bellini (Florentinische Nächte, 1837). Opening a new theater in Parma

Parma

Parma is a city in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna famous for its architecture and the fine countryside around it. It is the home of the University of Parma, one of the oldest universities in the world....
, his Zaira
Zaira

See also Zaira .Zaira is a popular female name in Spain and Italy. Its main meanings are "princess" in Irish language and Hebrew and "rose" in Arabic....
(1829) was a failure at the Teatro Ducale, but Venice welcomed I Capuleti e i Montecchi
I Capuleti e i Montecchi

I Capuleti e i Montecchi is an Italian language opera by Vincenzo Bellini.The libretto by Felice Romani was a reworking of a the story of Romeo and Juliet for an opera by Nicola Vaccai called Giulietta e Romeo ....
, which was based on the same Italian sources as Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet is a Shakespearean tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young "Star-crossed" whose untimely deaths ultimately unite their feuding families....
.

The next five years were triumphant, with major successes with his greatest works, La sonnambula
La sonnambula

La sonnambula is an opera semiseria in two acts, music by Vincenzo Bellini to an Italian libretto by Felice Romani, based on a ballet-pantomime by Eug?ne Scribe....
, Norma
Norma (opera)

Norma is a tragedia lirica or opera in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini with libretto by Felice Romani after Norma, ossia L'infanticidio by Alexandre Soumet....
and I puritani
I puritani

I puritani is an opera in three acts, by Vincenzo Bellini. Libretto by Count Carlo Pepoli based on T?tes rondes et Cavaliers by Jacques-Fran?ois Ancelot and Joseph Xavier Saintine....
, cut short by Bellini's premature death.

Bellini died in Puteaux

Puteaux

Puteaux is a commune in France in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located in the heart of the Hauts-de-Seine D?partements of France, at from the Kilometre Zero....
, near Paris

Paris

Paris is the Capital of France and the country's largest city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the ?le-de-France Regions of France ....
of acute inflammation of the intestine, and was buried in the cemetery of Père Lachaise, Paris; his remains were removed to the cathedral of Catania in 1876. The Museo Belliniano housed in the Gravina Cruyllas Palace, in Catania, preserves memorabilia and scores.

Works

Bellini's complete works are to be published in Edizione critica delle opere di Vincenzo Bellini, Milan: Ricordi 2003-

Operas

Title	Genre	Acts	Libretto	Première (date)	Première (place)
Adelson e Salvini Adelson e Salvini Adelson e Salvini is a three act opera semiseria composed by Vincenzo Bellini and first performed at the Music Conservatories of Naples in Naples on February 12 1825....	opera semiseria Opera semiseria Opera semiseria is an Italy genre of opera, popular in the early and middle 19th century.Related to the opera buffa, opera semiseria contains elements of comedy but also of pathos, sometimes with a pastoral setting....	3 acts		12 February 1825	Naples Naples Naples is a city in southern Italy, the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples. The city is known for its rich history, art, culture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,800 years old.... , Teatro del Conservatorio di San Sebastiano Music Conservatories of Naples The Music Conservatories of Naples The current music conservatory in Naples is San Pietro a Maiella ....
Bianca e Gernando	melodramma	2 acts		30 May 1826	Naples Naples Naples is a city in southern Italy, the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples. The city is known for its rich history, art, culture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,800 years old.... , Teatro San Carlo
Il pirata Il pirata *Il pirata* is an opera in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini to an Italian language libretto by Felice Romani from a French translation of the tragic play Bertram, or The Castle of St Aldobrando by Charles Maturin....	melodramma	2 acts	Felice Romani Felice Romani Felice Romani was an Italy poet and scholar of literature and mythology who wrote many librettos for the opera composers Gaetano Donizetti and Vincenzo Bellini....	27 October 1827	Milan Milan Milan is the second largest city of Italy, located in the plains of Lombardy. It is the capital in the Province of Milan, as well as the Regions of Italy capital of Lombardy.... , Teatro alla Scala
Bianca e Fernando Bianca e Fernando Bianca e Fernando is an opera in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini.There are two versions of this opera: the first, entitled Bianca e Gernando has a libretto by Domenico Gilardoni, after Bianca e Fernando alla tomba di Carlo IV, duca di Agrigento by Carlo Roti.... (revision of Bianca e Gernando)	melodramma	2 acts		7 April 1828	Genoa Genoa Genoa is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria. The city has a population of about 610,000 and the urban area has a population of about 900,000.... , Teatro Carlo Felice Teatro Carlo Felice The Teatro Carlo Felice is the principal opera house of Genoa, Italy, used for performances of opera, ballet, orchestral music, and recitals....
La straniera La straniera *La straniera* is an opera in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini, from a libretto by Felice Romani, based on L'?trang?re by Charles-Victor Pr?vot, vicomte d'Arlincourt....	melodramma	2 acts		14 February 1828	Milan, Teatro alla Scala
Zaira Zaira (opera) *Zaira* is a tragedia lirica, or tragic opera in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini , from a libretto by Felice Romani based on the tragedy Za?re by Voltaire....	tragedia lirica	2 acts		16 May 1829	Parma Parma Parma is a city in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna famous for its architecture and the fine countryside around it. It is the home of the University of Parma, one of the oldest universities in the world.... , Teatro Ducale
I Capuleti ed i Montecchi	tragedia lirica	2 acts		11 March 1830	Venice Venice Venice is a city in northern Italy, the capital city of the Italian regions Veneto, a population of 271,251 . Together with Padua, Italy, the city is included in the Padua-Venice Metropolitan Area .... , Teatro La Fenice
La sonnambula La sonnambula *La sonnambula* is an opera semiseria in two acts, music by Vincenzo Bellini to an Italian libretto by Felice Romani, based on a ballet-pantomime by Eug?ne Scribe....	opera semiseria	2 acts		6 March 1831	Milan Milan Milan is the second largest city of Italy, located in the plains of Lombardy. It is the capital in the Province of Milan, as well as the Regions of Italy capital of Lombardy.... , Teatro Carcano
Norma Norma (opera) *Norma* is a tragedia lirica or opera in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini with libretto by Felice Romani after Norma, ossia L'infanticidio by Alexandre Soumet....	tragedia lirica	2 acts		26 December 1831	Milan, Teatro alla Scala
Beatrice di Tenda Beatrice di Tenda Beatrice di Tenda, is a 'tragedia lirica', or tragic opera in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini, from a libretto by Felice Romani, after the play of the same name by Carlo Tedaldi-Fores....	tragedia lirica	2 acts		16 March 1833	Venice, Teatro La Fenice
I puritani I puritani *I puritani* is an opera in three acts, by Vincenzo Bellini. Libretto by Count Carlo Pepoli based on T?tes rondes et Cavaliers by Jacques-Fran?ois Ancelot and Joseph Xavier Saintine....	melodramma serio	3 acts		24 January 1835	Paris Paris Paris is the Capital of France and the country's largest city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the ?le-de-France Regions of France .... , Théâtre-Italien

External links

, from the Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project
Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project

The Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project is a free digital collection maintained by the University of California, Santa Barbara Libraries with streaming and downloadable versions of over 6,000 phonograph cylinders manufactured between 1895 and the mid 1920s....
at the University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Barbara

The University of California, Santa Barbara, commonly known as UCSB or UC Santa Barbara, is a public university research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University of California system....
Library.*