From Rossini’s Otello to Bellini’s Il pirata, these composers led the way with respect to the development of the bel canto style in musical composition. Full-blooded nineteenth century vocalism made its debut in Il pirata and both Rossini and Bellini established many innovations in their works that would come to be characteristic of the bel canto style. Most times the compositions were made to directly coincide with the vocal abilities of singers. We see this even today when a Bellini or other bel canto composer’s work is restaged and reviewed. In a recent review of Bellini’s “I Puritani” one critic wrote, “In the world of competi
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