The Life of Bellini'A sigh in dancing pumps' was Heine's view of Bellini. His physical beauty, boundless success and untimely death at the age of thirty-three combined to give Bellini instant mythical status. But both the facts and the fantasies were to be embroidered by Bellini's close friend and eventual biographer Francesco Florimo, who distorted the posthumous image of the composer to the extent of altering or destroying letters in his possession. In John Rosselli's account of Bellini's life and music, a new picture of the composer emerges. He provides a more accurate view of Bellini's personality, his relationships and his short but dazzling career in Naples, Milan and Paris. He introduces the operatic world of the early nineteenth century, the singers of Bellini's roles, and, above all he explains the writing and performance of the operas themselves. |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
Adalgisa Adelson e Salvini artist audience August authentic letter autograph Aymé Barbaja Beatrice Bellini wrote Bellini's death Bellini's letters Bellinian Bianca e Fernando cabaletta called Capuleti career carnival Catania chorus composer contemporary contract Donizetti dramatic duet early feeling Felice Romani Florimo francs French Giuditta Pasta Giuditta Turina heart Il pirata impresario Italian opera Italy January La Scala La sonnambula La straniera Lanari late later Levy librettist libretto Lippmann lived London lover Malibran married meant melody Milan Mlle Olivier musician Naples Neapolitan Norma November numbers once Opéra opera house opera world Opéra-Comique orchestral Pacini Paris performance Pirata Puritani Puteaux Ricordi Rossini Rubini San Carlo Scala scene score season seems September Sicilian Sicily singers singing sonnambula straniera success tell tenor theatre Théâtre-Italien thought told Florimo took Venice Vincenzo Bellini vocal voice wife woman words write young Zaira Zingarelli
Popular passages
Page 13 - Italian - at that time a literary and official language, and a lingua franca for the educated - was uncertain; like many people whose grasp of language is weak, he readily picked up foreign turns of phrase - Gallicisms - while failing to master the language they came from. All this calls for empathy and imagination as well as critical scrutiny. Many artists' work seems to move on a plane other than that of their daily life.
Page 5 - blond as the cornfields, sweet as the angels, young as the dawn, melancholy as the sunset.