Vincenzo Bellini

Vincenzo Bellini was born in 1801 in Catania, Sicily. His father and grandfather, both composers and musicians, gave him much of his early musical training. Bellini learned to play piano very early, and by the age of six he had written his first composition. His grandfather, eager to showcase the boy's talents, arranged the boy's first performances in aristocratic salons and churches.

At eighteen Bellini entered the conservatory at Naples. Despite a slow start he was soon noticed by the director of the school, composer Niccolo Zingarelli, who took him under his wing. At the conservatory Bellini learned counterpoint, solfege, and closely studied the works of Haydn, Mozart, and the Neapolitan masters. In his final year Bellini's first opera, Adelson e Salvini, was presented to the public by a cast of conservatory students. The opera's success earned Bellini a commission for another opera, which was performed at Naples' Teatro San Carlo.

By now the young Bellini had caught the eye of famous impresario Barbaia, who had also discovered Rossini and Donizetti early in their careers. Barbaia, who managed several theaters, commissioned Bellini to write an opera for La Scala in Milan. The commission paired Bellini with the great librettist Felice Romani, and gave him an excellent cast of singers to tailor his music to. The result was Il Pirata.

Il Pirata was a resounding success, and established Bellini as a young composer to be reckoned with. Its music was simple, elegant, and melodic, a breath of fresh air in an opera world overwhelmed by Rossini's florid style. The opera also marked the beginning of Bellini's fruitful collaboration with Romani, who was to write the libretti for all but one of his following operas.

Bellini moved to Milan, where success had opened the doors of society for him. There he met Giuditta Turina, a married woman he was to have a long and unhappy affair with. Over the following years Bellini built a reputation for being an excellent, if somewhat slow composer-whereas most composers of his day took only a couple months to write an opera, Bellini generally limited himself to one new work per year. Some of his operas, such as I Capileti e i Montecchi, La sonnambula, and Norma, were great successes and remain in the repertory to this day . Other works, like Zaira, flopped horribly.

Bellini was a very competitive man, trying to make a living in a tough profession. He was constantly jealous and suspicious of other composers-- particularly the prolific Donizetti, who he saw as his main competitor. The strain Bellini put himself under may have adversely affected his health; after his composing sixth opera, I Capuleti e i Montecchi, he fell ill with dysentary. He very nearly did not survive.

The failure of Beatrice di Tenda in 1833 ended Bellini and Romanis' collaboration. Bellini blamed Romani for the opera's failure. Romani responded by publishing an article in his own defense, accusing the composer of being too distracted by a certain woman to pay attention to his music. The article publicly acknowledged for the first time Bellini's long romance with Giuditta Turina, and caused a horrible scandal. She left her husband, and seemed ready to get a divorce-but Bellini's feelings towards her had changed. He fled the country without marrying her.

After an unsuccessful attempt to penetrate the London opera world, Bellini landed in Paris, where he took a complete break from music for a whole year. Entering Parisian society with enthusiasm, Bellini met and befriended many important people, including Chopin, Liszt, and best of all, the master of bel canto himself, Rossini. Rossini served as a consultant and guide during the composition of Bellini's last opera, I Puritani, which was another resounding success.

In the wake of I Puritani Bellini fell ill again, and died a few months later. He was 34, at the height of his powers, and on the verge of reconciliation with Romani