Parigi, 18 novembre 1834
Parigi 18: Nov:e 1834:
Mio caro Florimo
Aspettava risposta dalla Società almeno il giorno 14: del cor:te e siamo al 18: ed ancora non vedo nulla; frattanto era quasi tornato d’accordo con questi teatri francesi e non posso nulla conchiudere se non m’arriva tale risposta che deciderà di molto la mia posizione. Io ho scritto con questo stesso corriero al Presidente della Società
Il tuo Bellini
Monsieur François Florimo
à Naples
t.p. 20 | nov. | 1834 - […]
346
37.
Paris, 18 November 1834
Vincenzo Bellini to Francesco Florimo. Letter.
Aut. I-Nc, Rari 4.3.6 (41). Three bifolia, twelve sides plus address and partially preserved seal in red wax on the verso of the third bifolio.
Ed. Florimo 1882, pp. 459-463 (incompleta); Cambi 1943, pp. 471-475; Neri 2005, pp. 345-348.
Paris 18 November 1834
My dear Florimo
I was expecting to receive the Society's answer by at least the 14th, yet here we are on the 18th and still nothing; meanwhile I'm close to reaching an agreement with these French theatres, but I can't conclude anything without that response because it has a decided impact on my position. In the event the Society accepted my last proposals, I've sent a letter with this same courier to the President, Sig. Principe d'Ottajano, requesting a change to the article concerning my coming to Naples in January, which I now see will be nearly impossible. First off, while these French impresarios are more than willing to allow me to write also (but only) for Naples should that contract arrive, they want me to be here in January to audition the singers they've engaged so that I can select the company I prefer and inform the librettist, who will be Scribe. - I'd consign the opera in mid-1837, but you know that for me to write in French I need to become more familiar with the country's customs and cultural nuances, so it behooves me to remain here to work closely with the librettist. Then too, it does me little honor to refuse everything after I had them wait a bit, something I didn't do for the extremely kind and considerate offers the Society made me. If now they grant me the same advantages without any sacrifice on my part, including permission to write the two operas for Naples, once the contract is signed I should comply with their request to remain here in January until everything is settled with Scribe. There's also another difficulty in my coming there. The first performance of Gabussi's opera was scheduled for 20 October, but it's now 18 November and they say it won't open before the 26th of this month; given this situation, how could I not respect my obligation with the theatre's subscribers to be present for my own opera's premiere if, for example, one of my four performers should unfortunately fall ill? Or if the director postpones it because the scenery is not finished or whatever, or because he has to make room for other singers to debut in repertory operas or what have you, how then would I get to Naples in time and overcome the hardships of such a disastrously long trip in winter? In short, I'd stand to jeopardarize both the success of the premiere here and my promise to be in Naples by mid-January. I therefore wrote to Principe d'Ottajano asking leave to come to Naples to oversee the production of any one of my three operas, either this one in January if circumstances allow, or otherwise one of the two new ones. Do me the favor of going to this aforesaid gentleman to persuade him of the reasons and risks involved in my delicate situation with these French theatre directors — plus you can be still more detailed and convince him that the performance of the opera would lose nothing, and here's why. Lablache's part is not complicated, so it will be suitable for Porto; and I wrote Rubini's part lower than usual, so it will work just fine for Duprez. I would adapt Tamburini's part for Pedrazzi (given that things don't seem to bode well for the new bass, of whom you've made no further mention). I'll write a new cavatina for Malibran, and since I haven't yet composed the second-act finale, I can turn it into a grand aria for her rather than an ensemble piece. I'll only make a few adjustments to her part in general, preferring instead to give you instructions so that when you show it to her (I'll write to her as well if I receive the contract from Naples) she can speak directly with you. Have her run through the pieces, and if some passage is too high you can modify it or transpose it for her the same way I adjusted the tenor part for Rubini; but it's understood that I'll have changed whatever I already think is too high. I would also send along Tamburini's [original] part just in case the [new] bass is capable and convincing, that way you can try both and choose accordingly. Once I've finished going through the entire score this way I would consign it to the person indicated by Principe d'Ottajano no later than 1 January, so that you can begin rehearsals before 12 January. If it then looks like I can get to Naples, I'll come myself to supervise the production, otherwise I would come possibly in August for my first new opera. I'll be sending a selection of dramatic texts with Versace for you to show privately to Cottrau and Principe d'Ottajano, so that I can determine what revision might be required [for the censors]. All of them are interesting: if the revision for Gustave III doesn't involve much fuss it's a magnificent subject (not a word of this to anyone), and the same can be said for Un Duel sous le cardinal di Richelieu — but for the love of heaven don't let this go any further than the three of you in case I'm awarded the contract, so that some other composer doesn't get to them first. - I'll mark all of the pieces in the opera according to Mälzel's Metronome, which I already own, and later I'll send you all of my ideas regarding their execution. - Now that you've understood everything, find a way to represent my case to this excellent Signore d'Ottajano so that it meets with his satisfaction and preserves my honor, and assure him that I will come in January if I can. Meanwhile, once the response to my letter of 14 January arrives, if they send me the contract I'll start right away to make all of the adjustments so that I can deliver all of the music as soon as possible, with the proviso that, should I decide to make any ulterior improvement during the rehearsals here, I promise to write everything out on smaller sheets of lightweight staff paper and send it by letter. - Don't delay getting back to me, since you too have been rather sluggish in your correspondence. - Now for the latest from Paris. - The best news of all (strictly between us) is that Rossini has become very, very fond of me. - The other day he began to look at my introduzione and thought it was magnificent, so much that (and this was no small miracle) he made arrangements for the theatre to procure an organ to accompany the prayer for the four soloists in that piece, etc. He also thought all of my orchestration was far better than anything he imagined I knew how to do. He found Tamburini's cavatina charming and the duetto for Lablache and Grisi quite lovely; the coro before Rubini's entrance aria most tastefully and brilliantly orchestrated; and the entrance aria itself (which closely resembles the primo tempo of the cavatina for the protagonist in Norma) beautiful and well constructed. I didn't write a cabaletta because the situation doesn't call for one, but if Duprez wants one I thought I could either send you a few motifs or write it here myself if I have the time. I really think it's unnecessary, however, since right after his aria he has an agitato duetto with the secondary female, where it's all his to sing as if it were a cabaletta while she intervenes with pertichini, and then there's the quartetto and a grand terzetto, all in close succession — so you can see how I didn't want to tire Rubini, and uselessly at that. - Well then, Rossini is delighted. I know he always speaks very well of me because others have confirmed as much, and from the discussions we've had I can tell that this time he's not deceiving me. - He told me the other day after looking at the introduzione that he thought it was a good idea for me to remain in Paris, noting that if this opera is successful every theatre director here will be ready to make me all manner of generous offer and that I would do well to remain in Paris and forget Italy altogether. I swore that if he were to consider me with affection, advising me and assisting me in matters both practical and professional, that I would follow his every counsel; and that with the certainty of his benevolence I would indeed stay on in Paris, but never without it. When he asserted that he had always been kindly disposed toward me, I replied that I never doubted the benevolence he has toward others in general as honest people do, but that I was speaking rather in terms of father to son, or brother to brother. He promised it would be so, and I responded that I would do nothing without consulting him first. Instead of writing for the Opéra Comique, he wants me to compose a grand opera first and then as many opere comique as I like, — but I need a French reputation to make my fortune and this is only possible at the Grand Opéra, in the event Véron intends to have me meet with him. Rossini thinks he can also help leverage my advantages to make things go my way, so this is another reason why he doesn't want me to go to Naples right after the premiere. He's told me not to refuse the Opéra Comique or Naples if they offer me commissions, but to have Naples exonerate me from traveling there in January, and to tell the Opéra Comique that before signing a contract I'd want to hear the new singers coming in January etc. etc. He thinks I could write the two operas for Naples while the libretto for the Grand Opéra is being prepared, but that I must not abandon Paris for more than a month and only at the peak of summer (!!!), because that's when the librettists all retire to the countryside and he himself goes to Bologna. So you can understand what my situation is and imagine what harm it would do me to leave Paris right after the premiere, which won't be (you'll see) before 10 January. It's amusing how you neglected to notice in my letters how I wrote that the opera was scheduled to open at the end of December and not November — I mention this because Torelli said it was for the end of November in that article where he claimed to have gotten his information from me. I'm waiting for Torelli's clarification, confident that our amiable relationship will encourage him to provide me with all I need to prove my innocence with Grisi. Farewell dear Florimo -
Your Bellini
Monsieur François Florimo
à Naples
postmark 20| nov. | 1834-[...]