# Bellini wanting some not-sweet opera topic before he wrote Norma. What is the citation ?



## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

I have seen somewhere, that Bellini at one point got tired of his typical opera topics, those gentle women dying of broken heart, and wrote to his librettist Felice Romani, that he wants something less sweet and "lagrimevole" for his next opera. Maybe Norma was an answer to this wish, or even more Beatrice di Tenda, which is pretty horrible as a story. But can somebody help me find that quote ? What was the exact specification he wrote to Romani ?


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## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

I might write a blog about this stuff if I am not lazy. But I am lazy most of the time...


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## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

Or I will write a scienrific article and make you a co-author. How about that ?


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## j.frinzi14 (1 mo ago)

BBSVK said:


> I have seen somewhere, that Bellini at one point got tired of his typical opera topics, those gentle women dying of broken heart, and wrote to his librettist Felice Romani, that he wants something less sweet and "lagrimevole" for his next opera. Maybe Norma was an answer to this wish, or even more Beatrice di Tenda, which is pretty horrible as a story. But can somebody help me find that quote ? What was the exact specification he wrote to Romani ?


Bellini had a crush on a girl and when he was playing the piano at her house he saw her and composed the Casta Diva which he hid in his pocket but later found it and the inserted the Catsa Diva into Noma.


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## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

j.frinzi14 said:


> Bellini had a crush on a girl and when he was playing the piano at her house he saw her and composed the Casta Diva which he hid in his pocket but later found it and the inserted the Catsa Diva into Noma.


That doesn't sound familiar. Is it a real story ? Do you remember where you saw it ?


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## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

But he has probably heard a Beethoven's Moonlight sonata played on a piano in the household of his friends, passed it through 2 other operas, until it finally landed in the chorus of Oroveso and warriors "Ah del tebro".


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## Zorro1313 (1 mo ago)

BBSVK said:


> That doesn't sound familiar. Is it a real story ? Do you remember where you saw it ?


I also have a copy of a Christmas card sent to a friend of my grandfather from Beniamino Gigli.
Also, Lawrence Tibbett was the first singer to come out of the newly installedOrcheresta pit when he was hired by Gremins Theatre
in L.A. where movie stars get their star. He also faked singing Russian for a woman at an after hr opera party where the woman requested a song in Russian. After he sang she said his Russian was perfect. His dad was killed in a shoot out with one of last outlaws of the wild west. Maria Callas hired a Claker to boo Tebaldi but Correlli would not sing w her until she apologized. Justi Bjorling was from Tuna Sweeden and he and his brothers sang when children in Chicago w their dad. Titta Ruffo was born Ruffo Titta named after a hunting dog given to his father called Ruffo. James McCraken s great grandson is President of Firestone. Which trivia story is made up?


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## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

Zorro1313 said:


> I also have a copy of a Christmas card sent to a friend of my grandfather from Beniamino Gigli.
> Also, Lawrence Tibbett was the first singer to come out of the newly installedOrcheresta pit when he was hired by Gremins Theatre
> in L.A. where movie stars get their star. He also faked singing Russian for a woman at an after hr opera party where the woman requested a song in Russian. After he sang she said his Russian was perfect. His dad was killed in a shoot out with one of last outlaws of the wild west. Maria Callas hired a Claker to boo Tebaldi but Correlli would not sing w her until she apologized. Justi Bjorling was from Tuna Sweeden and he and his brothers sang when children in Chicago w their dad. Titta Ruffo was born Ruffo Titta named after a hunting dog given to his father called Ruffo. James McCraken s great grandson is President of Firestone. Which trivia story is made up?


They all sound kind of credible, including the one about Bellini. ;-)


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## j.frinzi14 (1 mo ago)

Bellini comment I heard at an opera class . I think it came from either a 33 1/3 Album. Or one of those books written about Bellini. All those Trivia Stories were true except James McCracken who was featured on the Firestone hour on tv I thought I’d trick people by saying that. Tibbett I read in his auto bio same with Ruffo are true stores.( Ruffos father was given a hunting dog named Ruffo but it died in hunting accident so poor Titta got that name from his father.They lived near Pisa and his father made fancy fences. The Tebaldi rumor popped up amongst the Old Timers repeatedly. I don’t know if it’s true. Tebaldi was always a lady and took her mother with her everywhere.I’m sorry I can’t look thru all those Bellini records right now to find it it may have been in one of those books about Bellini or a Milton Cross wanabee author. I remember that he was playing the piano when the girl came down the stairway and I think he was smitten w her. Also he may have been very young . It struck me as a good story as he was a wholesome type in that he was proper and didn’t approach. I do remember preparing for an oper class about Bellini which had WWII vets in it. short but brave sicilians and a few tall ones Today is the Commemoration of Pearl Harbor I m glad that when I was younger my father conscripted me to the opera class. Little did I realize how happy a d proud those vets were. Most sent their kids to college but those immigrants knew opera voices 1 million times better than today. I. Meantime do t give up keeplearning. I hope when I. Looking thru the collection I run across that story.


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