Milano, 16 gennaio 1828
Mio caro Florimo = Ricevo le tue due in una, e sento prima le nuove dello stato di tua salute che mi consolano, e come ti posso ancor dire io riguardo la mia. – Non mi parlare più di quel gran bestione di
Sento gli affari della Casarani, e speriamo, che tutto finisca in bene della
M’ha molto consolato la notizia dell’arrivo del buon Duca e la Duchessa di Noja; mi rallegro alla loro allegrezza pel maschio che Iddio gli ha concesso: tu quando lo vedi, fagli le mie parti, come in uno alla Sig:ra Duchessa, e digli che sempre sono quell’istesso Bellini memore e riconoscente al loro cordiale affetto, e premura che hanno avuto per gli miei avanzamenti. = Mi dici che vuoi rimessa la musica per commodo particolare; basta vedrò, ma è molto difficile, perché è molta, e nessuno vuol caricarsi; ma vedrò come meglio posso mandartela! = Sento il tuo giudizio sulla musica, e lo trovo savio; ed io te lo dettaglierò più bene secondo l’effetto che qui ha prodotto: la sortita di
[Esempio musicale 1]
[Esempio musicale 2]
ài capito? = La sortita della
Fà i miei complimenti a Donizetti salutandolo da mia parte; e l’istesso fà con
Adesso andiamo a quel che v’è di nuovo per me: l’altro jeri è venuto in mia casa il Sig:r senzale \Corrispondente/ teatrale, e mi ha recato un’offerta di scrittura legalmente degli impressarii di dirlo \risolverlo/ adesso, perché bisogna stare con gli occhi aperti; e secondo le circostanze che succederanno mi regolerò con ambedue trattati: per ora sospetto che nell’autunno non potrà esservi buona compagnia in questo teatro, \e/ che vi fosse di certo in Carnevale, perché si spera d’avere che poi \pure/ è probabile che dopo Genova
Bellini che t’ama –
Milano 16: del 1828:
Al Sig:r D:n Gabriele Nigri
nel Real Collegio di Musica
Napoli
t. p. […] - nap | 27 […]
15
3.
Milan, 16 January 1828
Vincenzo Bellini to Francesco Florimo. Letter.
Aut. I-Nc, Rari 1.9.10 (32). One bifolio, four sides with address on the verso.
Ed. Florimo 1882, pp. 293-296 (partial transcription); Cambi 1943, pp. 38-42; Neri 2005, pp. 38-41.
My dear Florimo - I received your two letters together and was immediately comforted to read your latest regarding your health, which I can say about mine as well. - Don't ever mention that colossal beast Destefano again because his self-importance makes me nauseous, whereas I imagine he had to go through two bottles of Le Roi to relieve his indigestion after the successful reception Donizetti got. - I see that Pacini is no longer there. Do accept your friend's thanks for the gloves you're sending me, which I hope are made from fresh and durable leather; sometime later you might send me another two dozen, which are never too many, so that I don't bother you so often. - Don't believe what you've heard about Melzi, but I agree it's true about Unger because she's a singer and therefore capable of anything. She was the one spouting insults about Tosi and Pacini at Lalande's home, and she can write whatever she likes there but she's heard nothing from me because I've never been to see her here, determined as I am to stay as far away from that devil as possible.
I've heard about the Casarani affair, and let's hope it all ends well for Fumaroli, since I would never have been able to provide properly for her, given my professional priorities and my limited financial resources. -
Your news about the arrival of the good Duca and Duchessa di Noja is most reassuring, and I am delighted for the joyous birth of the son God has given them. When you see him, extend my best wishes together with those for the Sig.a Duchess, and tell him I remain the same grateful Bellini who will never forget their cordial affection and solicitous regard for my progress. - You tell me that you want particular arrangements made for sending the music — I'll try, although it's very difficult because there's so much and no one wants to take it on, but I'll see how best I can get it to you! - I've read your appraisal of the music and find it very perceptive, and I can give you more detail about the impression it made here. You're absolutely right that Rubini's entrance aria brings the image of an angel to mind, because his delivery was divine beyond comprehension, and he sang with such heart-swelling simplicity that it was surprisingly effective. The following cabaletta and the chorus just before it were also quite effective, each in its own genre, especially from "se questo avessi a perdere" to the end, which touches the listener to the core. You see that in general the printed music is full of errors, especially in the largo of this entrance aria and in the allegro, and I'll tell you what I can remember here. When Gualtiero sings "la mia vita omai dipende da Imogene, dall'amor", the accompaniment always imitates the vocal line, so when he sings "da Imogene dall'amor" the last time, the accompaniment's response should be [Esempio musicale 1] rather than repeating what it had before, understand? The bass remains as is, and what comes next as well; then some of the text is poorly set in the section of the cabaletta before the reprise, which should instead go like this [Esempio musicale 2], understand? - Lalande's entrance aria is as you say; but since she had me trim it down because she's totally incapable of that kind of delicate emotion, which she doesn't understand, she fell short of the intended effect and consequently obtained much more from the cabaletta than the primo tempo. - The duetto, dear Florimo, was the most impressive of all, from the recitativo to the last bar, and especially the largo. You can't imagine what an effect it had — simply put, there were tears in the eyes of all who heard and saw it. - The duetto in the second act was also effective, but much less so than all of the other pieces. The entire primo tempo of the terzetto made a great impression, as would the stretta have done if they had sung it. I have no words for Rubini's scena: you can't possibly imagine, no matter how hard you try, what a sensation it was, and how divinely he delivered it. I agree with you about Lalande's scena, but I can't tell you which of the two received more applause because both made such a splendid impression. - In the duetto of the second act you can see several errors for yourself, especially in a bass line of the primo tempo moving in parallel thirds; there are more in the other pieces, but I don't remember where without the music here at home to check. One hopes that unreliable crook Ricordi will issue the vocal score for sale this month; at least he promised me as much himself the other day. -
Give my salutations and regards to Donizetti, and the same to Gilardoni and his family, telling him also that I was pleased beyond words to hear how his libretto was such a success and earned the acclaim of the public in a manner never seen for any other poet; and that I'm delighted first for this recognition of his merit, and also because he now seems to be well on his way toward overcoming the hardships of his hapless destiny, which I hope will be less baleful and far more fortunate in the future.
Moving on now to my latest news, the other day the theatrical agent Sig. Merelli came to my home with the offer of a binding contract from the impresarios managing Genoa's upcoming Carnival season; but I didn't want to commit myself just yet because the vocal troupe is still incomplete, so I responded that I would immediately accept their offer once all of the actors have been engaged if I find them suitable. This is how things stand for the moment, and meanwhile I might be approached with a better contract from either Venice or Turin. Yesterday Conte Melzi informed me that Villa told him he would offer me a contract for La Scala's fall season as soon as he knows who the singers will be. I can't decide what to do yet because I need to keep on my toes and manage both negotiations according to what will happen in their respective circumstances. For now I suspect the theatre here won't have a good group of singers for the fall season but that it certainly will for Carnival because they hope to get Rubini, who will be there in August as you've told me, and probably David will be there as well after Genoa; still, if I can have Rubini here in August I'll certainly accept this offer and then some other theatre for Carnival — although in the end I can't tell you anything definitive. Give it some thought, and let me know what rumors you've heard about the management there. Farewell my dear Florimo, extend my regards to everyone and especially the good Andreani family, Sig. Zingarelli, and all of our friends, and a warm embrace from your
devoted Bellini
Milan 16: 1828
To Sig. Don Gabriele Nigri
in the Real Collegio di Musica
Naples
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