Vincenzo Salvatore Carmelo Francesco Bellini ( / b ə ˈ l iː n i / bə- LEE -nee , Italian: [vinˈtʃɛntso salvaˈtoːre karˈmɛːlo franˈtʃesko belˈliːni] ; 3 November 1801 – 23 September 1835) was an Italian opera composer known for his long, flowing melodies and expressive musical arrangements. He was a key figure in the bel canto era, and his work was admired by both the public and many other composers who were influenced by his music. His songs combined detailed musical decorations with a simple, clear way of setting lyrics.

Bellini was born into a musical family in Sicily. He showed talent early in life and earned a scholarship to study with several famous musicians at Naples' Real Collegio di Musica. There, he learned the style of the Neapolitan School and was inspired by modern performances of operas by composers like Donizetti and Rossini. He wrote his first opera, Adelson e Salvini (1825), for the conservatory, and his next, Bianca e Fernando (1826), for a commission at Teatro di San Carlo. He also became close friends with Francesco Florimo, who was his first biographer.

Bellini later moved to Milan to compose for La Scala, where the success of Il pirata (1827) helped launch his career. He wrote many famous operas, achieving great success with I Capuleti e i Montecchi (1830, La Fenice), La sonnambula (1831, Teatro Carcano), and Norma (1831, La Scala). He traveled abroad and wrote I puritani after visiting London. Its successful premiere in 1835 at Théâtre-Italien marked the end of his international career. Bellini died at age 33 in Puteaux, France.

Giuseppe Verdi praised Bellini's wide-ranging melodies as unmatched, and Richard Wagner, who rarely gave praise, was impressed by how Bellini combined music and text. Franz Liszt and Frédéric Chopin also admired his work, though Hector Berlioz was less enthusiastic. Most music experts today view Bellini positively, though some question the quality of his compositions. Many of his operas, including Pirata, Capuleti, Sonnambula, Norma, and Puritani, are regularly performed at major opera houses worldwide.

Catania: early life

He was born in Catania, which was part of the Kingdom of Sicily at that time. He was the oldest of seven children in his family and showed great musical talent from a young age. His grandfather, Vincenzo Tobia Nicola Bellini, studied music at a conservatory in Naples and later worked as an organist and teacher in Catania starting in 1767. His grandfather’s son, Rosario, also worked as a teacher and musician.

A twelve-page handwritten document kept in Catania’s Museo Civico Belliniano says that Bellini could sing an aria by Valentino Fioravanti at eighteen months old. He began studying music theory at age two and learned to play the piano at three. By five years old, he could play the piano "very well." The document also claims that Bellini composed his first five pieces at age six and studied Latin, modern languages, rhetoric, and philosophy by age seven. However, Herbert Weinstock, a biographer, says some of these claims are not supported by other reliable sources. He also notes that Bellini did not become highly educated in languages or philosophy.

Another biographer, Stelios Galatopoulos, agrees that some early compositions may be true but questions whether Bellini was truly a child prodigy. He points out that Bellini was not a skilled piano player and, when he entered a music conservatory in Naples as an older student, his compositions were judged to be beginner-level.

After 1816, Bellini lived with his grandfather, who gave him his first music lessons. Soon after, Bellini began writing music, including nine religious pieces called "Versetti da cantarsi il Venerdi Santo," eight of which used texts by Metastasio.

By 1818, Bellini had completed several orchestral works and at least two versions of the Mass Ordinary, one in D Major and the other in G Major. Both pieces still exist and have been recorded.

Bellini wanted to continue his studies. For wealthy students, this would mean moving to Naples. Though his family was not wealthy, Bellini’s growing reputation helped. Stefano Notabartolo, the duca di San Martino e Montalbo, and his wife supported Bellini by helping him request financial support from the city leaders. In May 1819, the city agreed to give him a four-year allowance to study at the Real Collegio di Musica di San Sebastiano in Naples. Bellini left Catania in July with letters of recommendation to influential people, including Giovanni Carafa, who was the director of the conservatory and the city’s royal theaters. He stayed in Naples for the next eight years.

Naples: musical education

The Conservatorio di San Sebastiano (which was the name used for the Real Collegio di Musica, established in 1806 and later renamed in 1808) moved to larger buildings near the church of Gesù Novo and the former home of the nuns of San Sebastiano. The school was run by the government, and students wore uniforms similar to military attire. They followed a strict daily schedule that included classes in major subjects, singing lessons, instrumental training, and basic education. Their days began with morning mass at 5:15 a.m. and ended at 10 p.m. Although older than the usual age for admission, Bellini submitted ten musical pieces for review. These pieces showed his talent, though he needed to improve some technical skills.

The school focused on the works of composers from the Neapolitan school, as well as the orchestral music of Haydn and Mozart. Emphasis was placed on Italian classical composers like Pergolesi and Paisiello, rather than the newer styles of composers such as Rossini. Bellini’s first teacher was Giovanni Furno, who taught him about harmony and accompaniment. Another teacher, Giacomo Tritto, who composed over 50 operas, taught him counterpoint. However, Bellini found Tritto’s teaching style outdated. The school’s artistic director was the opera composer Niccolò Antonio Zingarelli.

By 1822/23, Bellini had joined a class that he later taught. The older teacher recognized Bellini’s potential and treated him like a son, offering him advice. During his time at the Collegio, Bellini met Francesco Florimo, with whom he corresponded for the rest of his life. Other students who became opera composers included Francesco Stabile, the Ricci brothers (Luigi and Federico), and Saverio Mercadante, who was already a graduate student.

Bellini also met Gaetano Donizetti, whose ninth opera, La zingara, had been a success in Rome. Years later, Florimo described how Bellini first saw Donizetti perform. After hearing the opera, Bellini obtained the score and was introduced to Donizetti. Florimo noted that Bellini described Donizetti as “a truly beautiful, big man, and his noble countenance—sweet, but at the same time majestic—arouses affection as well as respect.”

Bellini improved in his studies. In January 1820, he passed exams in music theory and earned an annual scholarship, allowing him to use his stipend from Catania to help his family. The following year, he passed exams again and composed a Messa di Gloria in A Minor for soloists, choir, and orchestra, which was performed in October.

During his time in Naples, Bellini composed two other Mass settings: a full Ordinary in E Minor and a second full Ordinary in G Minor, likely from 1823. He also created two versions of the Salve Regina, one for solo soprano and organ, and another for choir and orchestra. These works may date from 1820. Additionally, Bellini wrote a brief two-movement Oboe Concerto in E-flat, which has been recorded by the Berlin Philharmonic.

Bellini’s involvement in Zingarelli’s class occurred during the 1822/23 school year. By January 1824, Bellini had passed exams successfully and earned the title primo maestrino, which required him to tutor younger students and granted him a private room at the conservatory. He was also allowed to visit the Teatro di San Carlo on Thursdays and Sundays, where he saw Rossini’s opera Semiramide for the first time. After the performance, Bellini was unusually quiet and then said, “Do you know what I think? After Semiramide, it’s futile for us to try and achieve anything!”

Bellini faced another challenge: winning the hand of Maddalena Fumarolis, whom he had met as a guest in her home and to whom he had become a music tutor. When her parents discovered their relationship, they forbade them from seeing each other. Bellini was determined to gain their permission to marry her, and some sources believe this motivated him to write his first opera.

In late summer 1824, Bellini’s primo maestrino status at the conservatory led to an assignment to compose an opera for the institute’s teatrino. This became Adelson e Salvini, a semi-serious opera with a libretto by Andrea Leone Tottola, who also wrote the libretto for Donizetti’s La zingara. The opera was performed between mid-January and mid-March 1825 and featured an all-male cast of fellow students. It was so popular that it was performed every Sunday for a year.

After this success, Bellini is believed to have returned to Catania to visit his family, though some sources place the visit in 1824 and others in 1825. By the summer or early autumn of 1825, he was back in Naples to fulfill a contract to write an opera for the Teatro di San Carlo or another royal theatre, the Teatro Fondo.

Beginnings of a career

After presenting Adelson e Salvini and during his time in Milan, Bellini asked Florimo for help and made changes to the opera, shortening it to two acts. He hoped this would allow the opera to be performed by Domenico Barbaja, who had been the manager of the Teatro di San Carlo since 1809. However, it is unclear exactly how much Bellini or Florimo contributed to the revisions. Weinstock noted that no performances of the opera occurred after 1825. In March 1829, Bellini wrote to Florimo, stating, "I have written you the changes that you should make in Adelson."

In the summer or early autumn of 1825, Bellini began work on his first professionally produced opera. A contract between the Conservatory and the royal theatres required the Conservatory to assign a talented student to write a cantata or one-act opera for a gala performance. Zingarelli helped Bellini secure the opportunity to write a full-length opera instead. Additionally, Bellini was allowed to use a libretto not written by Tottola, the theatres’ official poet. As the manager of the San Carlo, Barbaja benefited greatly from this arrangement, as Florimo noted: "With a small investment, he found among young men the one who would lead him to large profits."

Bellini chose Domenico Gilardoni, a young writer, to create the libretto for his opera. Gilardoni based his work, titled Bianca e Fernando, on an 1820 play, Bianca e Fernando alla tomba di Carlo IV, Duca d'Agrigento, and set it in Sicily. However, the title had to be changed because "Ferdinando" was the name of the heir to the throne, and royal names could not appear on a royal stage. After delays caused by King Francesco I, the opera—now named Bianca e Gernando—premiered at the Teatro di San Carlo on 30 May 1826, Prince Ferdinando’s name day.

The opera was successful, partly due to the king’s approval, which broke the tradition of no applause during performances attended by royalty. Donizetti praised the work, writing to Simon Mayr, "It is beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, especially as it is his first opera." Bellini’s music was highly praised, with the Giornale delle Due Sicilie noting on 13 June that "several arias and duets are some of the most laudable pieces of new music heard in recent times at the [San Carlo]." However, some critics had concerns about Gilardoni’s contribution.

Nine months later, in February or March 1827, Domenico Barbaja offered Bellini a commission to write an opera for a performance at La Scala in Milan during the autumn of 1827. Barbaja was also part of La Scala’s management between 1821 and 1832.

Northern Italy

Bellini lived in Milan from 1827 to 1833. He did not have an official job at an opera company and earned money only from the compositions he wrote. He could charge more than usual for his work.

When he arrived in Milan, he met Antonio Villa of La Scala and composer Saverio Mercadante, whose opera Il Montanaro was being rehearsed. Mercadante introduced Bellini to Francesco and Marianna Pollini, an older couple. The husband had once been a piano teacher, and the wife was a skilled musician. They helped Bellini by supporting him in his work.

Bellini also met Felice Romani, a librettist who suggested the story for Bellini’s first opera, Il pirata. Bellini agreed to work on the opera because the story included dramatic and emotional scenes, which were new for operas at that time. Bellini and Romani formed a strong professional relationship. Romani wrote the libretti for six of Bellini’s operas and many others for other composers, including Verdi. Bellini admired Romani’s poetic style and the elegance of his words.

While in Milan, Bellini gained access to important social groups. He also stayed with friends, the Cantù and Turina families, for long periods. In 1828, he began a relationship with Giuditta Turina during the performances of Bianca e Fernando in Genoa.

Between 1827 and 1831, Bellini created four major operas: Il pirata, I Capuleti e i Montecchi, La sonnambula, and Norma. This period also included a revival of an earlier work and a setback.

Bellini and Romani began working on Il pirata in May 1827. By August, Bellini was writing the music. He knew the opera would feature Giovanni Battista Rubini, a tenor he admired, and Henriette Méric-Lalande, a soprano. Both had performed in Bianca earlier. The cast also included Antonio Tamburini, a respected bass-baritone.

Rehearsals faced challenges. Bellini told Rubini to act more expressively, using his body and voice to match his singing. Rubini improved, and critics later praised his performance as both a singer and actor.

The premiere of Il pirata on 17 October 1827 was a success. By December, the opera had been performed 15 times. For Rubini, this was a defining moment in his career. Critics agreed with Bellini’s assessment of the opera’s success.

After its debut in Milan, Il pirata was performed in Vienna in February 1828 and Naples in May. Both productions featured Rubini, Tamburini, and Rubini’s wife, Adelaide Comelli-Rubini, who Bellini initially doubted but later found to be skilled. Bellini gained international recognition through these performances.

After Il pirata, Bellini stayed in Milan hoping for another commission. In January 1828, Genoa offered him a commission for a new opera to be performed in April. Without knowing the singers, Bellini hesitated but eventually accepted. He decided to revive Bianca e Gernando, now called Bianca e Fernando, because there was no royal named Fernando in the House of Savoy. Romani revised the libretto, changing most of the text. Bellini adapted the music for the new singers, Adelaide Tosi and Giovanni David.

Bellini faced challenges with Tosi, who wanted changes to some parts of the opera. However, the audience enjoyed the performance, especially the second act. The opera was performed 21 times in Genoa, though some critics found the second act slow.

Bellini returned to Milan in April 1828 but had no new commissions. He later agreed to let Adelaide Comelli-Rubini reprise her role in Il pirata for performances in Naples, despite initial doubts. This decision caused some tension with Barbaja, who managed the theaters. In June, Barbaja offered Bellini a choice between Milan and Naples for his next opera. Bellini chose Milan because Rubini was only available in Naples. He signed a contract to write a new opera for the Carnival season, earning 1,000 ducati, much more than his first opera.

Bellini’s next opera, La straniera, was even more successful than Il pirata. He worked with Romani to base the opera on a novel by Charles-Victor Prévot. The premiere was planned for 26 December. However, delays occurred because Romani was ill and Rubini could not leave his Naples contract. Bellini eventually chose Domenico Reina, a young tenor with good reviews, to replace Rubini.

Major achievements

After Zaira received a poor response in Parma, Bellini stayed with the family of Ferdinando and Giuditta Turina for a short time in May and June. He then returned to Milan by the end of June and learned that his grandfather, who was 85 years old, had died in Catania. There was no contract for another opera at that time, except for a possible opportunity to work with Teatro La Fenice in Venice. As Herbert Weinstock explains, there is little information about Bellini’s activities between June 1833 and February 1834 because no letters from him to Florimo from that period have survived. The only sources are letters he wrote to others.

Giovanni Pacini, another composer from Catania, was still in Milan in late June after the successful premiere of his opera Il Talismano at La Scala on June 10. The opera was performed 16 times in total. To Bellini, Pacini seemed like a competitor. Because of Pacini’s recent success, he received offers to compose operas for both Turin and Venice for the Carnival season. He accepted both offers, but the manager of La Fenice added a condition: if Pacini could not complete the Venice contract, it would be given to Bellini.

Bellini then focused on staging a revival of his opera Il Pirata during the summer season at the Teatro Canobbiana because La Scala was closed for repairs. Il Pirata was performed with the original cast and was a great success, receiving 24 performances in a row from July 16 to August 23, 1829. This number of performances was greater than those of Pacini’s opera.

In July and August, Gioachino Rossini, a famous composer, visited Milan on his way to Bologna. He saw the performance of Il Pirata and met Bellini. The two composers liked each other very much. Later, when Bellini was in Paris a year or two after this meeting, he formed a strong friendship with Rossini.

In the autumn, Bellini received a firm offer to write a new opera for Venice. The contract also included a condition that Il Pirata would be performed during the 1830 Carnival season. By mid-December, Bellini had left his relationship with Mrs. Turina and arrived in Venice. There, rehearsals for Constantino in Arles by Giuseppe Persiani were already underway with the same singers who would later perform in Pirata: Giuditta Grisi, tenor Lorenzo Bonfigli, and Giulio Pellegrini.

With rehearsals for Pirata beginning in late December, the manager of La Fenice, Alessandro Lanari, informed Bellini that Pacini might not arrive in time to stage an opera. A contract was prepared with the condition that it would only become effective on January 14. Bellini accepted the offer on January 5. He stated he would set Romani’s libretto for Giulietta Capellio, required 45 days between receiving the libretto and the first performance, and agreed to accept 325 napoleoni d’oro (about 8,000 lire).

The deadline for the contract was extended until January 20. By that date, Romani was in Venice, having already revised much of his earlier libretto, which he had written for Nicola Vaccai’s 1825 opera Giulietta e Romeo. The source for that libretto was a play of the same name by Luigi Scevola, written in 1818. Romani and Bellini worked together, but the bad winter weather in Venice made Bellini sick. Despite this, he had to continue working under a tight schedule. Eventually, changes to Romani’s libretto were agreed upon, a new title was chosen for the opera, and Bellini reviewed his score of Zaira to see how some of the music could be adapted to the new text. He also used parts of Oh quante volte and Nelly’s romanza from Adelson e Salvini. The role of Giulietta was to be sung by Rosalbina Caradori-Allan.

At the premiere of I Capuleti e i Montecchi on March 11, 1830, Bellini’s success returned. Weinstock describes the premiere as “an unclouded and immediate success,” but the opera was only performed eight times before the La Fenice season ended on March 21. 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.”

By this time, Bellini knew he had achieved fame. On March 28, he wrote, “My style is now heard in the most important theatres in the world … and with the greatest enthusiasm.”

Before leaving Venice, Bellini was offered a contract to write another new opera for La Fenice for the 1830–31 Carnival season. After returning to Milan and reuniting with Turina, he also received an offer from Genoa for a new opera, but he had to decline it because it was for the same time period.

Later that year, Bellini prepared a version of Capuleti for La Scala, which was performed on December 26. He lowered Giulietta’s part for the mezzo-soprano Amalia Schütz Oldosi.

Returning to Milan after the Capuleti performances, little happened until late April, when changes began to occur in the management of La Scala. The organization, “Crivelli and Company,” which managed both La Scala and La Fenice, was negotiating with a group led by Count Pompeo Litta and two businessmen. Their main concern was hiring singers and composers for La Scala. To contract with Bellini, he had to be released from his obligation to Venice. This was achieved when Litta bought out the Venice contract. When Bellini outlined his terms for writing for Milan, Litta responded favorably: “I shall earn almost twice as much as if I had composed for Crivelli [then the Venetian impresario],” Bellini wrote in a letter to his uncle.

However, the group led by Duke L

London: April to August 1833

After leaving Venice on March 26, before many letters were written, Bellini stayed with Mrs. Turina in Milan. He left some of his personal items with her and seemed to plan to return there by August because he kept his rooms in the contrade dei Tre Monasteri.

Bellini and the Italian troupe, including Pasta, were hired by Pierre-François Laporte, the manager of the King’s Theatre in London. During their journey, they stopped in Paris, where Bellini met Dr. Louis Véron, the director of the Paris Opéra. They discussed the possibility of writing a French opera, but Bellini planned to focus on this project after returning in July.

As noted by Weinstock, the Italians arrived in London by April 27. Bellini was already well-known in London, as many of his operas had been performed there in recent years. His name appeared in the Morning Chronicle on April 29 at a performance of Rossini’s La Cenerentola, along with Maria Malibran, Felix Mendelssohn, Niccolò Paganini, Pasta, Rubini, and other Italian singers. His operas performed in London included Il pirata (with Henriette Méric-Lalande in April 1830), La sonnambula (with Pasta), and La straniera (with Giuditta Grisi).

Separately, Maria Malibran was preparing to make her London debut in an English version of La sonnambula at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on May 1. Bellini attended a performance where he first met Malibran.

As the opera season continued, Bellini became involved in many social events. His fame was now firmly established, especially after the success of La sonnambula. The premiere of Norma on June 21, with Pasta in the lead role, was a great success, as described in a detailed letter by Giuseppe Pasta about his wife’s performance. London newspapers, including The Times on June 23, 1833, reported positively on the event.

The London premiere of I Capuleti e i Montecchi took place in late July. After his contract ended, Bellini left for Paris by mid-August.

Paris: August 1833 to January 1835

When Bellini arrived in Paris in mid-August 1833, he planned to stay only about three weeks. His main goal was to continue talks with the Opéra, which had started earlier while he was traveling to London. Although there was no agreement with Véron at the Opéra, the Théâtre-Italien offered him a contract. Bellini accepted because the pay was better than what he had received in Italy before, though only slightly more. He also chose the offer because of the talented performers in the company and because he could stay in Paris at others’ expense.

Éduard Robert and Carlo Severini from the Théâtre-Italien had written to Bellini, inviting him to perform in their theatre during his stay. They told him that Grisi, Unger, and Rubini would sing Pirata in October and Capuleti in November. However, no firm plans had been made for Bellini to compose for the Italian theatre, and he did not want to accept an offer from Turin to stage Norma. He moved into a small new apartment and wrote to Florimo, telling him about his new home and asking Turina not to sell any of his furniture but to send some to him.

Bellini quickly joined the popular social gatherings in Paris, especially the salon run by Princess Belgiojoso, an Italian exile he had met in Milan. She was known for being very involved in political discussions. Her salon was a meeting place for Italian revolutionaries like Vincenzo Gioberti, Niccolò Tommaseo, and Camillo Cavour. It was likely there that Bellini met his future librettist, Count Carlo Pepoli of Bologna, who had been forced to leave Italy because of his opposition to Austrian rule. He also met other famous people, such as Victor Hugo, George Sand, Alexandre Dumas père, and Heinrich Heine. Among the musicians present were Italian composers like Michele Carafa and Luigi Cherubini, who was in his seventies.

Bellini had little musical activity in early 1834, as he wrote to Florimo: “If you think about how exciting it is for a young man in my position to be in London and Paris for the first time, you will understand why I am not working as much.” However, in January 1834, he signed a contract to write a new opera for the Théâtre-Italien, which would be performed at the end of the year. At the same time, he was invited to write an opera for the San Carlo in Naples for the 1834–35 Carnival season but declined because of his Paris commitment. He mentioned that he might be able to write for Naples by May 1835, when he knew who the singers would be. Florimo tried to persuade him to accept the Naples offer, noting that Malibran had been hired for the role there in January 1835.

By mid-April 1834, Bellini became worried when he learned that Donizetti would be composing for the Théâtre-Italien during the same season, 1834–35. He believed this was part of a plan organized by Rossini. In a long letter to Florino in March 1834, he described his frustrations. Later, after I Puritani was a great success and outperformed Donizetti’s first opera for Paris, Marin Faliero, Bellini explained what he called “the plot against me” and how he worked to counter it. He strengthened his relationship with Rossini by visiting him often and seeking his advice. He noted, “I have always adored Rossini, and I succeeded in calming his anger. I no longer feared him and finished my work, which brought me much honor.” In letters to Florimo, he wrote that Rossini supported him, even saying, “Rossini loves me very, very, very much.”

While working on I Puritani, Bellini mentioned having a short illness he called “gastric fever,” which recurred each year as the weather warmed. After signing the contract for his new opera, Bellini searched for a suitable subject. In a letter to Florimo on 11 March 1834, he wrote about the opera that would become I Puritani, saying, “I am about to lose my mind over the plot of the opera for Paris, as it has been impossible to find a suitable subject for my purpose and adaptable to the company.”

He worked with Carlo Pepoli, an Italian exile he met at a salon. Writing the libretto was difficult, and Bellini reported a period of illness. However, by 11 April, he told Ferlito that he was well and had chosen the story for his Paris opera: “It is about the time of Cromwell, after he had King Charles I of England beheaded.” He described the plot and noted that his favorite singers—Giulia Grisi, Rubini, Tamburini, and Lablache—would be available for the main roles. He planned to start writing the music by 15 April if he received the lyrics. He also mentioned an offer from Naples for April 1836 and outlined his financial demands.

The story for I Puritani was based on a play called Têtes Rondes et Cavalieres (Roundheads and Cavaliers), written by Jacques-François Ancelot and Joseph Xavier Saintine. Some sources say the play was inspired by Walter Scott’s novel Old Mortality, while others say there is no connection. Bellini helped his librettist by providing a scenario with thirty-nine scenes, reducing the number of characters from nine to seven and giving them names that were easier to sing.

As he worked on the opera, Bellini moved to Puteaux, a town half an hour from Paris, where he stayed with an English friend, Samuel Levys. He hoped to finish the opera more carefully there. In late spring, he wrote to Pepoli, reminding him to bring the first act of the opera the next day so they could discuss it. He told Pepoli, “We can finish discussing the first act, which will be interesting, magnificent, and proper poetry for music, despite you and all your absurd rules.” He also gave Pepoli one basic rule to follow.

By late June, Bellini had made significant progress. In a letter copied into one he wrote to Florimo on 25 July, he replied to Alesandro Lanari, the director of the Royal Theatres of Naples. Lanari had written to Bellini in April 1834 about an opera for Naples, and Bellini told him that the first act

Paris: January to September 1835

After the success of I puritani, Bellini received two honors. King Louis-Philippe of France named him a chevalier of the Légion d'honneur, and King Ferdinand II of Naples awarded him the cross of the "Order of Francesco I." Bellini dedicated I puritani to Queen Marie-Emélie of France. However, Bellini expressed sadness about not seeing his friend Florimo for a long time. He sent many invitations and requests for Florimo to visit Paris, but from February to July, Florimo ignored them. In a letter, Bellini wrote, "I'll no longer ask for reasons, and I'll see you when I see you." He later tried to persuade his uncle, Vincenzo Ferlito, to visit, but this also failed.

In 1834, Bellini agreed with Naples to stage three operas there, including rewriting parts of the music for Malibran, starting in January 1835. However, the revised score did not arrive on time, so the performances were canceled, and the contract was broken. During March, Bellini did not work on any projects but attended the final performance of I puritani on March 31. On April 1, he wrote a long letter to Ferlito, describing his life in Paris, reviving old feelings of jealousy about Donizetti and Rossini, and stating his goal to arrange a contract with the French Grand Opéra and stay in Paris. He also mentioned the possibility of marrying a young woman who is not wealthy but has wealthy relatives who might give her 200,000 francs if she agrees. However, he said he was not in a rush to marry.

Throughout May, Bellini received news from London about the success of I puritani and the failure of a revival of Norma, which was poorly performed by the singers. Later reports about Giulietta Grisi’s version of Norma were also negative, and Bellini was relieved that Grisi did not perform it in Paris. During the summer, Bellini’s mood was described as "dark." Discussions with the Opéra could not continue until a new director was appointed. He wrote long letters filled with ideas and plans, and some sources suggest he was deeply troubled physically or mentally.

At a literary gathering earlier in the year, Bellini met the writer Heinrich Heine. Both attended a summer dinner where Heine reportedly said Bellini was "a sigh in dancing pumps." Bellini, who was superstitious, was upset by this comment. Heine later wrote about Bellini in his unfinished novel Florentine Nights (1837), focusing on Bellini’s less appealing traits.

In his final known letter to Filippo Santocanale, Bellini wrote on August 16, followed by a letter to Florimo on September 2. In the latter, he mentioned, "For three days I've been slightly disturbed by a diarrhea, but I am better now, and think that it is over."

Final illness and death

Bellini did not like Heine, as shown by his reaction to Heine's comments. To help the two men get along, Madame Joubert, who was at a summer event, invited both Bellini and Heine to dinner, along with her friend, Princess Belgiojoso. Bellini did not attend; instead, he sent a note saying he was too sick. Weinstock wrote that the princess sent Doctor Luigi Montallegri to Puteaux. Over several days, Montallegri sent four reports to Carlo Severini of the Théatre-Italien. The first report, on September 20, said "no appreciable improvement." The next day, the doctor noted a slight improvement, and on September 22, he wrote that he "hopes to declare him out of danger tomorrow." However, the fourth report, on September 22, was more serious. It stated that Bellini had been sick for 13 days and "passed a very restless night." On September 23, Montallegri reported that Bellini had a "terrifying convulsion" and that death was near. Bellini died around 5 p.m. on September 23, 1835.

Rossini quickly took charge of Bellini's funeral and burial, as well as managing his estate. He arranged for an autopsy, as ordered by the King. The Court-appointed Doctor Dalmas performed the autopsy and shared his findings about the cause of death.

Rossini formed a group of Parisian musicians to raise money for a monument to Bellini and to fund a funeral mass held on October 2 in the chapel of the Hôtel des Invalides.

On September 27 and October 3, Rossini wrote detailed letters to Santocanale in Palermo, explaining what he had done after Bellini's death and what happened on October 2. At first, Rossini planned for Bellini to be buried in Père Lachaise Cemetery as a temporary arrangement, unsure where his final resting place would be. For many years, people tried to move Bellini's remains to Catania, but this did not happen until 1876, when his body was moved to the cathedral in Catania and reburied. His empty tomb in Père Lachaise Cemetery still stands, next to Rossini's, whose remains were also later moved to Italy.

After Bellini's death, many people honored him, but one tribute stands out. Felice Romani wrote a piece that was published in Turin on October 1, 1835. In it, he shared his thoughts about Bellini.

Today, the Museo Belliniano in Catania, where Bellini was born, displays memorabilia and manuscripts. In the 1980s and 1990s, Bellini was featured on the front of the Banca d'Italia 5,000 lire banknote, with the back showing a scene from the opera Norma.

Bellini, romanticism and melodrama

After completing his opera Il pirata at La Scala, Bellini was invited to write an opera for Parma's new Teatro Ducale in early 1829. In the contract, Bellini had the authority to choose who would write the opera's text, called a libretto. After meeting Bellini and the leading female singer, the Parma-based librettist Luigi Torrigiani's work was rejected. Torrigiani then filed a complaint to Parma's Grand Chamberlain in December 1828, but it was ignored. In the complaint, Torrigiani described Bellini's preferences for Romantic drama: "He likes Romanticism and exaggeration. He says Classicism is cold and boring. … He is fascinated by strange meetings in forests, among graves, tombs, and the like."

When writing the libretto for Zaira, the composer Romani explained his approach in the preface: "Zaira is not covered with the large cloak of Tragedy but wrapped in the tight form of Melodrama." This showed Romani's view of the story as a dramatic tale, not a full tragedy, and his connection to Voltaire's work.

Personal life and relationships

Bellini was known for having many romantic relationships, as shown in his letters to Francesco Florimo. However, three people played an important role in his life: Francesco Florimo, Maddalena Fumaroli, and Giuditta Turina.

One of Bellini’s closest friends was Francesco Florimo, whom he met as a fellow student at the Naples Conservatory. Throughout Bellini’s life, the two men wrote to each other often. During the 1820 revolution, Bellini and Florimo joined a secret society called the Carboneria. Their friendship is clear in their letters. For example, on January 12, 1828, Bellini wrote that their friendship was "hearts made only to be friends to the last breath." In 1825, Bellini wrote, "Your existence is necessary to mine." On February 11, 1835, he wrote: "my excellent, my honest, my angelic friend! The more we know the world, the more we shall see how rare is our friendship." Some people have guessed about Bellini’s sexuality based on these letters, but Weinstock (1971) believed these guesses were not appropriate for the time period. Rosselli (1996) explained that close friendships were common in Mediterranean societies and Italian opera during the early 1800s, not a sign of romantic feelings. After Bellini left Naples for Milan, the two men rarely saw each other; their last meeting was in Naples in late 1832, when Bellini was there with Giuditta Turina before traveling to Milan via Florence. Florimo’s published memories, written 50 years after the events, may not be accurate. In later years, Bellini said Florimo "was the only friend in whom [I] could find comfort." However, Florimo’s letters may not be completely true, as he sometimes changed or made up parts of his correspondence with Bellini to create a better image of the composer. Florimo also destroyed some letters that showed Bellini’s affairs with married women, including letters about his relationship with Giuditta Turina. After Bellini’s death, Florimo became his literary executor.

Although Bellini’s relationship with Maddalena Fumaroli did not work out during these early years, the success of his opera Bianca e Gernado gave him hope that her parents would finally agree to their marriage. He asked a friend to speak to her family again, but her father rejected the idea and returned all the letters Bellini had sent, writing that "my daughter will never marry a poor piano player." When Florimo told Bellini about this, Bellini said he would try again but later changed his mind. By 1828, after the success of Il pirata and before moving to Genoa for Bianca e Ferdinando, Bellini learned that the Fumaroli family had withdrawn their rejection of his proposal. However, by this time, Bellini had grown distant from Maddalena due to his career and other responsibilities. Using Florimo, he told the family he could not support her financially and rejected the proposal. Even after Maddalena wrote three letters pleading with him, Bellini remained firm in his decision.

After 1828, Bellini’s most significant relationship was with Giuditta Turina, a married woman he met in Genoa in April 1828 during the production of Bianca e Fernando. Their relationship lasted until Bellini moved to Paris. Bellini’s letters to Florimo showed he was happy with this relationship because it kept him from marrying and allowed him to focus on his work.

However, in May 1833, while in London, Bellini’s relationship with Giuditta changed when her husband found a compromising letter from Bellini. This led Bellini to seek a legal separation and have Giuditta leave his home. Bellini did not want to take responsibility for her and had grown less interested in their relationship. In 1834, he wrote to Florimo from Paris, saying he would leave the city if Giuditta arrived there. He added, "I no longer want to be put in the position of renewing a relationship that made me suffer great troubles." When Giuditta announced she was leaving her husband, Bellini ended the relationship, saying, "with so many commitments, such a relationship would be fatal to me," and expressed fear that romantic relationships would distract him from his music career. Bellini avoided long-term emotional commitments and never married.

Giuditta Turina remained in contact with Florimo throughout her life. After Bellini’s death, she wrote a sad but friendly letter to Florimo. Florimo returned her friendship, and as Galatopoulos noted, "the death of Bellini was a mutual loss and Florimo needed Giuditta as much as she needed him." The two corresponded for years, and Florimo visited her in Milan at least once in 1858. Giuditta Turina died on December 1, 1871.

Complete works of Bellini

In 1999, the Italian music publisher Casa Ricordi worked with the Teatro Massimo Bellini in Catania to create carefully prepared versions of all of Bellini's musical works.

Fifteen songs were published together as Composizioni da Camera by Casa Ricordi in 1935, which marked the 100th anniversary of Bellini's death.

• Eight symphonies, including a Capriccio, ossia Sinfonia per studio (Capriccio, or Study Symphony), written around 1820. Bellini's symphonies are short pieces (usually less than ten minutes) in the Italian overture style, not the German style seen in works by Beethoven.
• Oboe Concerto in E-flat major (about 1823)
• Seven piano pieces, three of which are for two people playing together
• Organ Sonata in G major
• Forty sacred compositions, including:
• Mass in D major ("Catania" No. 1) (1818)
• Mass in G major ("Catania" No. 2) (1818)
• Messa di Gloria in A minor for soloists, choir, and orchestra (1821)
• Mass in E minor (Naples, about 1823)
• Mass in G minor (Naples, about 1823)
• Salve Regina in A major for choir and orchestra (about 1820)
• Salve Regina in F minor for soprano and piano (about 1820)