Editing Vincenzo Bellini (section)

===''I Capuleti e i Montecchi'': Venice, March 1830===
[[File:Maria Malibran as Bellini's Romeo-1832.jpg|thumb|[[Maria Malibran]] as Romeo-Bologna, 1832]]
With rehearsals for ''Pirata'' underway in late December, Bellini was given notice by the La Fenice impresario, Alessandro Lanari, that it was doubtful whether Pacini would be present in time to stage an opera and that a contract was to be prepared with the proviso that it would only become effective on 14 January. Accepting the offer 5 January, Bellini stated that he would set Romani's libretto for ''Giulietta Capellio'', that he required 45 days between receipt of the libretto and the first performance, and that he would accept 325 napoleoni d'oro (about 8,000 lire).<ref>Bellini to Lanari, 5 January 1830, in {{harvnb|Weinstock|1971|p=83}}: Weinstock notes that Romani had used "Capellio" as Juliet's last name in the libretto.</ref>

The tentative contract deadline was extended until 20 January, but by that date Romani was in Venice, having already re-worked much of his earlier libretto which he had written for [[Nicola Vaccai]]'s 1825 opera, ''[[Giulietta e Romeo (Vaccai)|Giulietta e Romeo]]'', the source for which was the play of the same name by [[Luigi Scevola]] which had been written in 1818. The two men set to work, but with the winter weather in Venice becoming increasingly bad, Bellini fell ill; however, he had to continue to work under great pressure within a now-limited timetable. Eventually, revisions to Romani's libretto were agreed to, a new title was given to the work, and Bellini reviewed his score of ''Zaira'' to see how some of the music could be set to the new text, but composing the part of Romeo for Grisi. He also took Giulietta's "''Oh quante volte''" and Nelly's ''romanza'' from ''Adelson e Salvini''. The Giulietta was to be sung by [[Rosalbina Caradori-Allan]].

At the premiere of ''[[I Capuleti e i Montecchi]]'' on 11 March 1830 success for Bellini returned. Weinstock describes the premiere as "an unclouded and immediate success"<ref name=WEIN85/> but it was only able to be performed eight times before the La Fenice season closed on 21 March.<ref name=WEIN85>{{harvnb|Weinstock|1971|p=85}}</ref> A local newspaper, ''I Teatri'', reported that "all things considered, this opera by Bellini has aroused as much enthusiasm in Venice as ''La straniera'' aroused in Milan from the first evening on".<ref>{{harvnb|Cambi|1943}} in {{harvnb|Weinstock|1971|p=85}}</ref>

By this time, Bellini knew that he had achieved a degree of fame: writing on 28 March, he stated that "My style is now heard in the most important theatres in the world&nbsp;... and with the greatest enthusiasm."<ref>Bellini, quoted by {{harvnb|Lippmann|McGuire|1998|p=390}}</ref>

Before leaving Venice, Bellini was offered a contract to produce another new opera for La Fenice for the 1830–31 Carnival season, and—upon his return to Milan after a reunion with Turina—he also found an offer from Genoa for a new opera but proposed for the same time period, an offer he was forced to reject.

Later that year, Bellini prepared a version of ''Capuleti'' for La Scala which was given on 26 December, lowering Giulietta's part for the mezzo-soprano [[Amalia Schütz Oldosi]].