Rossini, Bellini and Donizetti are three Italian composers from the early nineteenth century, that are mostly known for their operas. The short songs presented on this record do not come from operas, these are written as separate works, or sometimes in series of songs. The album is called for the first series of six songs by Bellini.
The Ariette da camera (small chamber arias) come from a larger series of fifteen Composizioni da Camera that were probably composed around 1820, when Bellini was about to leave the country for Paris. It is doubtful they were ever meant as a complete series. The collection can be split in three parts, of which these six songs are the last.
Instead of the drama that is opera’s stock and trade, Bellini chose more mundane, simple melodies. These are more reminiscent of folk melodies, and some can be traced back to Sicily, Bellini’s home ground.