Editing Vincenzo Bellini (section)

==Northern Italy==
[[File:Vincenzo Bellini (1801 -1835), by Anonymous.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Bellini around 1830<br>(artist unknown)]]

Bellini spent 1827 to 1833 mostly in Milan, never holding any official position within an opera company and living solely from the income produced from his compositions, for which he was able to ask higher than usual fees.

Upon his arrival, he met Antonio Villa of La Scala and composer [[Saverio Mercadante]] whose new opera, ''Il Montanaro'' was in rehearsal. The latter introduced him to [[Francesco Pollini|Francesco]] and Marianna Pollini (an older couple, the husband a retired professor of piano, the wife a better-than-amateur musician) who immediately took the young man under their wing.

[[File:Felice Romani-younger.jpg|thumb|upright|Librettist Felice Romani]]
In addition, Bellini was introduced to the librettist [[Felice Romani]], who proposed the subject of the composer's first project, ''[[Il pirata]]'', to which the young man willingly agreed especially when he realised that the story "provided several passionate and dramatic situations.. [and]..that such Romantic characters were then an innovation on the operatic stage."{{sfn|Galatopoulos|2002|p=62}} A strong professional relationship with Romani began from that time; he became Bellini's primary creative partner, providing the libretti for six of Bellini's operas which followed, in addition to about 100 libretti written for the major composers of the day, up to and including Verdi.<ref name=EIS>{{harvnb|Eisenbeiss|2013|p=157}}</ref> As has been observed, "no other Italian opera composer of the time showed such an attachment to a single librettist"<ref name=L&M389/> and although Romani was known to treat composers poorly, he evidently had great respect for Bellini, even acceding to his requests for revisions.<ref name=CICC>{{harvnb|Cicconetti|1859|pp=39–40}}</ref> For his part, Bellini admired "the sonorous and elegance of the poet's verses"<ref name=L&M389/>

While in Milan, "[Bellini] quickly gained an entrée into higher social circles",<ref name=L&M389>{{harvnb|Lippmann|McGuire|1998|p=389}}</ref> although he also stayed for months at a time with friends, the Cantù and the Turina families. It was with Giuditta Turina that he began an affair in 1828 during the premiere performances of ''Bianca e Fernando'' in Genoa.

The four years in Northern Italy between 1827 and 1831 produced four great masterpieces, ''[[Il pirata]]'', ''[[I Capuleti e i Montecchi]]'', ''[[La sonnambula]]'', and ''[[Norma (opera)|Norma]]'', along with a revival and a setback.

=== ''Il pirata'' for Milan ===
The collaboration with Romani on ''Il pirata'' began in May 1827 and, by August, the music was being written. By then, the composer was aware that he was to write music for his favourite tenor [[Giovanni Battista Rubini]] and the soprano was to be [[Henriette Méric-Lalande]]. Both singers had starred in ''Bianca'' in the original 1826 production. The strong cast also included [[Antonio Tamburini]], a major bass-baritone of the time. But rehearsals did not progress without some difficulties, as both Weinstock and Galatopoulos recount: it appears that Bellini found Rubini, while singing beautifully, to be lacking expressiveness: he was urged to "throw yourself with all your soul into the character you are representing" and to use [your] body, "to accompany your singing with gestures", as well as to act with [your] voice.{{sfn|Galatopoulos|2002|p=64}} It appears that Bellini's exhortations bore fruit, based on his own account of the audience's reactions to the first performance,<ref name=WEIN40>{{harvnb|Weinstock|1971|pp=40–41}}</ref> as well as the reaction of the ''[[Gazzetta privilegiata di Milano]]'' of 2 December which noted that this opera "introduced us to Rubini's dual personality as a singer and actor". The reviewer continued to declare that this duality had never been expressed in other operas in which he had performed.<ref>''Gazzetta privilegiata'' review, in {{harvnb|Galatopoulos|2002|pp=67–68}}</ref>

The premiere, given on 17 October 1827, was "an immediate and then an increasing, success. By Sunday, December 2, when the season ended, it had been sung to fifteen full houses".<ref name=WEIN40 /> For Rubini, "it marked the defining performance for the tenor",<ref name=EIS/> and the newspaper reviews which followed all agreed with the composer's own assessment.{{sfn|Weinstock|1971|p=42}}

After its Milanese debut, the opera received very successful performances in Vienna in February 1828 and also in Naples three months later. Both productions starred Rubini, Tamburini, and—in the role of Imogene—Rubini's wife, Adelaide Comelli-Rubini, about whom Bellini had initial misgivings, although it appears that she acquitted herself very well. By this time, Bellini had begun to achieve international fame.{{sfn|Weinstock|1971|pp=43–44}}

=== ''Bianca'' revised ===
After ''Il pirata'', Bellini remained in Milan with the hope of securing another commission. One came from Genoa via [[Bartolomeo Merelli]] on 13 January 1828 for a new opera for presentation on 7 April. However, without knowing which singers would be engaged, he was unwilling to commit at that time, but remained in hope of something definite from La Scala for the autumn. When no alternatives appeared, he accepted Genoa's offer in February, but it was then too late to write anything new. He immediately proposed a revival and re-working of ''Bianca e Gernando'', this time with the original title ''[[Bianca e Fernando]]'', there being no royal by the name of Fernando in the House of Savoy.{{sfn|Weinstock|1971|p=46}} Romani wrote to Florimo in Naples and told him that he had taken on the re-construction of the libretto, with the result that "out of the whole of ''Bianca'', the only pieces entirely unchanged are the big duet and the ''romanza''; everything else is altered, and about half of it is new",<ref>Romani to Florimo, approx. February 1828, in {{harvnb|Galatopoulos|2002|p=73}}</ref> Bellini then re-arranged the music to suit the singers' voices, now knowing that the Bianca was to be [[Adelaide Tosi]] and the Fernando to be [[Giovanni David]].

As Bellini reports, he had problems with Tosi wanting changes to be made to a ''[[cavatina]]'' and a ''[[stretto|stretta]]'' in one scene, but he stuck to his own opinion, proving to be correct when he reported the audience's reaction to Florimo: "the public was very happy with the entire opera, particularly with the second act".<ref>Bellini to Florimo, 10 April 1828, in {{harvnb|Galatopoulos|2002|p=95}}</ref> Overall, the first performance was even greater than it had been in Naples, and the opera was given a total of 21 times. However, critical reaction was not as positive as that of the audience: "The second act is a long bore" stated ''L'Eco di Milano'', although the ''Gazzetta di Genova'' was more helpful, noting "the more we listen to the style of the music, the more we appreciate its merit".<ref>Press reactions to ''Bianca'' in {{harvnb|Galatopoulos|2002|pp=96–97}}</ref>

=== After ''Bianca'' ===
Bellini remained in Genoa until 30 April and then returned to Milan, but with no specific opportunity in place. His initial opposition to Comelli-Rubini being allowed to reprise the role of Imogene in ''Il pirata'' for performances in Naples (as she had done in Vienna—but successfully) was proved to be wrong, since she did sing well there and received general approval. But this issue had caused complications in his relationship with Barbaja, who controlled both theatres, and when he visited Milan in June, he offered Bellini the opportunity to choose between Naples and Milan as the venue for his next opera. For the composer, the decision hung on the availability of singers for each of the houses, especially because Rubini was contracted to sing only in Naples.{{sfn|Weinstock|1971|p=53}} However, by 16 June, he had decided on the location to be Milan, and then signed a contract to write a new opera for the Carnival season for a fee of one thousands ducati, compared to 150 ducati for his first opera.<ref name=WEIN55>{{harvnb|Weinstock|1971|p=55}}</ref>

=== ''La straniera'' for Milan ===

For ''[[La straniera]]'', Bellini received a fee which was sufficient for him to be able to make his living solely by composing music, and this new work became an even greater success<ref name=L&M389/> than ''Il pirata'' had been. As for singers, it appears there was some doubt about the tenor, but that Henriette Méric-Lalande, [[Luigi Lablache]] (or Tamburini), would be available. In consultation with Romani as to the subject, it was agreed that it would be based on the novel ''L'étrangère'' (''Il solitario'') of 1825 by Charles-Victor Prévot, vicomte d'Arlincourt, and planned for the premiere on the opening night of the season on 26 December.

However, by 20 September, Bellini told Florimo that he did not think the performance could take place as scheduled due to Romani being ill. In addition, he was concerned about who would sing the tenor role when he had been unable to obtain Rubini's release from his Naples contract. Berardo Calvari (known as Winter) was rejected because audiences had disliked him the previous July when he appeared in both a [[Giovanni Pacini|Pacini]] and a Donizetti opera at La Scala.{{sfn|Weinstock|1971|p=63}} Fortunately, having received good reports of the young tenor [[Domenico Reina]], he was able to secure his services, describing him in a letter to Florimo as "one who will want to do himself honour; everyone tells me that his voice is beautiful, and that he has all the acting and spirit one could wish for."<ref>Bellini to Raina, in {{harvnb|Cambi|1943}} and quoted in {{harvnb|Weinstock|1971|p=63}}</ref>

Following Romani's recovery, the delivery of the libretto arrived piecemeal, but Bellini set to work again; progress was slow. By 7 January 1829, with Romani having recovered and set off for Venice to fulfill a contract, the composer was "almost up to the 2nd act". Filippo Cicconetti, in his 1859 biography, gives an account of Bellini's working methods, explaining how he set texts to music always with the words in front of him in order to see how inspired to compose he might become. When it came time to compose the final aria ''Or sei pago, ol ciel tremendo'', the librettist's words gave him no inspiration at all and, at their next meeting, Romani agreed to re-write the text. Returning within half an hour, the second version left Bellini equally cold—as did a third draft. Finally, when asked what it was that he was seeking, Bellini replied: "I want a thought that will be at one and the same time a prayer, an imprecation, a warning, a delirium&nbsp;...". A fourth draft was quickly prepared: "Have I entered into your spirit?" asked the librettist—and he was embraced by the young composer.<ref name=CICC/>

Rehearsals began in early January with the premiere planned for 14 February 1829; it was an immediate and resounding success with the ''Gazzetta privilegiata di Milano'' on 16 February declaring it to be a:
<blockquote>clamorous success..[with] the poet [serving] the composer well, and the composer could not have served the singers better; all competed to render themselves pleasing to the public, and succeeded in such a way as to be applauded greatly.<ref name=PAPERS>''La Gazzetta'', 16 and 19 February 1829, in {{harvnb|Weinstock|1971|p=66}}</ref></blockquote>

Three days later, the same publication praised the quality of the music, describing Bellini as "a modern Orpheus" for the beauty of his melodies.<ref name=PAPERS/> Reporting to Romani, who was still in Venice, Bellini gave an account of the success: "the thing went as we never had imagined it. We were in seventh heaven. With [this letter] receive my gratitude more than ever&nbsp;..."<ref>Bellini to Romani, 15 February 1829, in {{harvnb|Weinstock|1971|p=67}}</ref> Others wrote equally enthusiastic reports, with abundant praise being given to the singers as well. However, there were detractors who criticised both the opera and its composer: its new style and its restless harmonic shifts into remote keys did not please all. 45 years later it was stated that "Bellini's style was abstruse, discontinuous, distorted, and lacking in distinction, that it alternated among the ''serio'' and the ''buffo'' and the ''semi-serio''..."<ref>Giuseppe Rovani, 1874, in {{harvnb|Weinstock|1971|pp=68–69}}</ref>

=== ''Zaira'': a setback in Parma ===
[[File:Teatro regio.jpg|thumb|The Nuovo Teatro Ducale in 1829]]
[[File:Teatro Regio Parma Apertura.jpg|thumb|Poster for Nuovo's opening night]]
''[[Zaira (opera)|Zaira]]'' was the opera which came into being following discussions with Barbaja in Milan in June 1828 for a second opera for La Scala. At around the same time, Bellini reported to Florimo that he had been approached by Merelli about writing an inaugural opera for the soon-to-be completed Teatro Ducale (now the [[Teatro Regio (Parma)|Teatro Regio]]) in Parma which was due to open during the following year<ref name=WEIN55/> on 12 May 1829.<ref name="Holden">{{harvnb|Kimbell|2001|p=49}}</ref> Initially, the opera was to be ''Carlo di Borgogna'', but composer and librettist decided to tackle "a drama so&nbsp;... hallowed as [[Voltaire]]'s ''[[Zaïre (play)|Zaïre]]''",{{sfn|Weinstock|1971|p=75}} but this proved to be more challenging for Romani than first imagined.

With this opera, Bellini encountered "the first serious setback of a hitherto brilliant career".<ref name="Holden"/> Several reasons have been put forward: [[Friedrich Lippmann (musicologist)|Lippmann]] and McGuire note, it was because "Bellini showed too little enthusiasm for the undertaking".<ref name=L&M390/> Another writer attributes it to Parma's traditional love of and favouritism towards the music of [[Gioachino Rossini|Rossini]],<ref name="Holden"/> while yet another notes that a combination of the composer being constantly seen in cafes around the city (when it was assumed that he should have been composing) and the fact that Romani had included a long explanation of the difficulties of adapting Voltaire in the printed libretto provided to all operagoers. The librettist was critical of his own work: "the style should have been more careful, and that here and there, certain repetitions of phrases and concepts should have been edited out". At the same time, he stated that, with music composed to those verses now in place, "I was not permitted to go back over what already had been done; and poetry and music were finished in less than a month".<ref>Felice Romani's ''Promio dell'autore'', in {{harvnb|Weinstock|1971|p=76}}</ref><ref name="Lippmann">Friedrich Lippmann, (Trans. T. A. Shaw) "''Ziara'' Yesterday and Today" in booklet accompanying the Nuevo Era recording.</ref> This short period of time compares to the months which, for example, it took Bellini to write ''Il pirata''.

In fact, Bellini arrived in Parma on 17 March giving him 56 days before the opening, but he then learned that some of the singers would only arrive 14 days before the date of the premiere, a date that was—in theory— unchangeable. In fact, it had to be changed due to the inability of Lalande to arrive in time for sufficient rehearsal. Both composer and librettist were somewhat dilatory, delaying work as much and as long as possible. Count Sanvitale's request on 17 April, asking "to let me know the reasons why our copyists are kept idle", did not receive much of response to satisfy the theatre's management.<ref name=GALA147>{{harvnb|Galatopoulos|2002|pp=147–150}}</ref> Eventually, both men got down to work and finished on time, although the premiere was delayed by four days.

The general impression given by reports in the press was that, overall, the music was weak, although some numbers and the trio were liked. However, for the most part, the singers were applauded, even if the composer received little. The opera received eight performances, followed by some poorly received ones in Florence in 1836, and then it disappeared until 1976.{{sfn|Galatopoulos|2002|pp=150–151}}