Vincenzo Bellini – Critical Editions

The Works of Vincenzo Bellini
Published by Casa Ricordi with the contribution and collaboration of the Teatro Massimo “V. Bellini” of Catania
General Editors:
Fabrizio Della Seta, Alessandro Roccatagliati, Luca Zoppelli

Long awaited by performers, scholars, and music lovers in general, the Critical Edition of the Works of Vincenzo Bellini was launched in 1999 by Casa Ricordi with the contribution and collaboration of the Teatro Massimo “V. Bellini” of Catania. The synergy between a specialized music publisher and a major opera theater is an important factor that allows the volume editors the opportunity to test many of their decisions in professional performance, as they shape the definitive edition. Bellini’s ten operas, chamber music for voice, sacred music, and instrumental music comprise a corpus characterized by a particular historical context. On the one hand his activity as a composer was fully immersed in the practice of his times, in which modifications, alternate pieces, and adaptations were often required. On the other hand, the 19th century's growing awareness of the professional status of the composer, Bellini's quest for a distinct originality of style, the careful pacing of his output, and his high degree of attention to refined detail, makes it fundamentally important to correctly represent his autograph indications. 

The critical edition aims to restore the original dramatic and musical character of the Bellini’s scores. Following the editorial philosophy established with the critical editions, the Bellini edition will produce scores that meet the exacting requirements of both performers and scholars. By offering these scores in reliable editions, cleared from the clutter of banalities layered on by years of “routine”, the series aims to restore these great works to a new generation in versions written or sanctioned by the composer, in their full, fresh vitality. These new scores should also stimulate the circulation of his lesser know works, unjustifiably considered “minor”.