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But the works in
which Bellini’s inspiration rises to infinite heights, brushing there
with a luminous wing: I Capuleti e i Montecchi (The Capulets
and Montagues), il Pirata (The Pirate), la Norma
(Norma), and the one which was the song of the Swan of Catania, i
Puritani (The Puritans), will all re-echo with joy for the new
and future generations of Italians in their full, pure and immortal
beauty.
*
* *
Much more will be
spoken about the Maestro, of his brief and adventurous existence, of
his sudden end, of a mysterious love romantically dramatised. But
amidst all the research and revelations it does not seem to me
inopportune to recall here and now the family origins of this great
musician, not to detract from Catania’s pride at having given birth to
him, but rather to demonstrate that it is useful to recognise in
Abruzzo too the glory of a common motherland for him.
Because it was
precisely in this land that his ancestors were born and lived;
precisely in one of these villages, raised up between the mountain and
the sea, that the musical lineage was planted, like a robust oak tree,
that would later branch off to the sunny isle. That village is
Torricella Peligna in the Province of Chieti. It must have arisen
during the barbaric times of the Medieval period, when the family
lived on one of the spurs of the Maiella, but following the
destruction of Juvanum[2]
they moved to a hillside centre. A fresh hillside, covered with
olives, perfumed by broom, melodic with the many rivulets that run
from the west down through the valleys to feed the Aventino; and with
the great, brackish, salty gusts that blow from the other direction,
bringing the health of the Adriatic. White and turquoise, like small
kneeling nuns, its little houses gathered in the shade of the
bell-tower or sloping down the flanks of the hills.
Amongst its small
bright buildings there is one on which a plaque says Circolo
Bellini (Bellini Club[3]).
Nobody reading
that would think that it actually means the name of the great Master
himself and that in reality it had been the home of his ancestors. We
shall learn about them quite soon.
*
* *
In the Catasto Onciario[4]
of 1743 for that village, on page number 194, it shows that a Rosario
Bellini
[2]
Juvanum
– as early as the 4th Century BC, Iuvanum
was the economic and
administrative centre of the Samnite people, called Caraceni.
Taken over by the Romans at the end of the social war in the 1st
century BC, Iuvanum became an important political and
administrative centre of the Roman Empire.
A detailed account of Juvanum with interesting
photos, can be found at :-
http://www.abruzzoheritage.com/magazine/2001_12/0112_a.htm
[3]
Circolo Bellini – There were two clubs in Torricella in the
early years of the twentieth Century, the “Conversation Club” and
the “Bellini Club”; the members of the latter were tradesmen and
craftsmen, most of whom believed in Socialism. The headquarters of
the Bellini Club was on the ground floor of the premises of the
house of “Mastredinate”, the house where Vincenzo Bellini senior
was born. There is a plaque on the wall of the house in
Torricella; and see also article by
Giovanni Monrado, describing Bellini’s Abruzzan origins :-
http://www.torricellapeligna.com/OtherPub-m08-italian-english.html
Each club had a small bar, a billiard room and a
meeting room, where normally people would play cards.
Actually, prior to 1922 the “Bellini Club” had been called the
“Remembrance Club”, but since this referred to the Risorgimento
movement*, in order avoid problems with the Fascists, the name was
changed to the less provocative “Bellini Club”.
*
Risorgimento – movement which began in the early
19th Century and led to the
proclamation of the
Kingdom of Italy (1861), and eventually to unification (1871).
There were 10 founder members of the “Bellini
Club”; of these we recall Antonio Porreca, originator of the
Pineta, Artidoro De Marinis, Peppino de la Rumana, Peppino di
Ciufelle, Luigi Piccone de la Penna, Peppino Manzi and Quirino De
Laurentiis.
Both clubs were exclusive and one had to be accepted to become a
member. Women only entered on organised Feast Days, at Christmas,
or on other special occasions.
The group photos of these two clubs, but especially that of the
“Conversation Club”, give the picture that for some Torricellans
life was rather comfortable. It is sufficient to look at how they
are dressed to understand their level of prosperity.
The members of the “Bellini Club” are also elegant and
well-dressed in their own way; their picture was taken on the
occasion of a country holiday, the place was probably the Shooting
Range.
For photos and more details see :-
http://www.torricellapeligna.com/EarlyImages-Bellini-Conversazione.htm
[4]
Catasto Onciario
– historically this was a registered list of inhabitants and
their possessions; it was used to evaluate the
possessions of the citizens and to establish the revenue from
their activities, in order to calculate the amount of taxes due.
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aged 30 lived there together with his wife, Francesca Mancini aged 26,
daughter of the Notary Nicola and they lived in the house belonging to
the estate of his brother, Don Carlo, a priest.
This Rosario was the son of Tobia Bellini, an Abruzzan, and of Anna
Pacifico, a Neapolitan and they had three children: Anna Maria born in
1740; Vincenzo Tobia Nicola, born in 1744, and Carlo Felice born in
1747. It should be noted here that since S. Vincenzo Ferreri[5],
together with the ancient Patron Saint of the village, S. Marziale[6],
is highly venerated there and also, since the Abruzzan custom is to
repeat the same name every two generations, there are many named
Rosario and Vincenzo in the registers recording the Bellini family
too.
Rosario’s birth certificate, taken from the books in the local Parish
of Torricella, shows that he was baptised in 1711, there, in the
Church of S. Giacomo, and his Godfather was a Giovanni di Avolio from
Pacentro in the Province of Aquila.
There is also the baptismal certificate for his older son, Vincenzo
Tobia Nicola (See Appendix).
*
* *
Now who were these Bellinis and what was their social position?
In the Torricella Inventory, the first Rosario was a “bracciante”
(agricultural labourer) – and there is no comment to be made about the
humbleness of his profession – but it is probable, indeed one can
almost affirm, that this word then indicated a different position than
it does today, especially considering that this good man could take
for his wife the daughter of a Notary; that, according to inventory
sheet number 194, he owned some property and “land growing vines with
soft fruit and fruit trees”; that his brother Don Carlo, a priest, was
also a proprietor of their house, which still exists and was recently
restored, and that another brother, Falco, was of a certain rank in
the clergy at Sulmona.
Then there is the fact that at the baptismal font, the Godfathers of
two of Rosario’s sons, Vincenzo and Felice, were given the title
Magnifici in public documents, and although this honorific title
does not
[5]
Saint
Vincent Ferrer (or Ferrier),
1350?–1419, Spanish Dominican preacher, b.
Valencia.
St. Vincent's life was severely ascetic, and his
followers were inspired to imitate his austerities. Feast: Apr. 5.
He studied at Barcelona, taught at Lleida, and
later studied at Toulouse. After 1379 he became a friend and
protégé of Pedro de Luna, later antipope Benedict XIII. St.
Vincent became widely known as a preacher even in his youth. He
considered himself called to summon sinners to repent and prepare
for the Judgment. He was tremendously successful, and many
thousands were converted by him. He was especially interested in
converting the Spanish Jews and Muslims. St. Vincent travelled
over Europe, visiting France, Italy, and Flanders. He preached his
last two years in Brittany and died in Vannes.
[6]
Saint Marziale
- is the Patron Saint of Torricella; how did he become patron?
Well the story goes that early in the 19th century
there was a serious drought locally; the Torricellani
decided that they needed a Patron Saint to protect them from
natural disasters. Two citizens, who were wise and experienced,
were dispatched to a factory where statues of saints were built.
The two paraded up and down the isle where the statues were
displayed. One of the men’s cappotto or cape got caught
by an extended arm of the statue of St. Marziale; this happening
made the man turn around suddenly and said that the saint tugged
at his coat and that he must want to be the protector of
Torricella; the other man said: may be so, but he is only a
child (San Marziale was about seven years old when he
died), and how can a child be the patron of a large town with
over four thousands inhabitants? Allegedly the two argued, but
in the end, San Marziale became the Patron Saint of
Torricella.
For an interesting article about Torricella’s
Patron, Saint Marziale see :-
http://www.torricellapeligna.com/Amici%20Article126-english.html
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V. Bellini,
Sr.