Bellini e i classici viennesi: una rivalutazione, con un’appendice chopiniana

The article reviews the evidence relating to Bellini’s knowledge of Viennese classical music, from the years of his training to his last stay in Paris. The material examined includes documents that are already known and others that are little or not known. Among these, the transcription, made in Naples around 1824, of a piece from Mozart’s cantata Davide pentito, and the fragments of Mozart’s and Beethoven’s sonatas found in the Bellini’s working papers (‘studi giornalieri’) used in Paris in 1834-35. A further piece sheds possible new light on the relationship between Bellini and Chopin. In light of the facts examined, the article concludes that the stay in Paris was an opportunity for Bellini to enrich a path of knowledge characterized by constant curiosity towards new experiences.