It is important to remember, in discussing the works of
Bellini and the other composers of his school, that in their day the art
of singing was cultivated to a far higher pitch of perfection than is
now the case. Consequently the composer felt that he had done his duty
if, even in situations of the most tragic import, he provided his
executant with a broad, even melody. Into this the consummate art of the
singer could infuse every gradation of feeling. The composer presented a
blank canvas, upon which the artist painted the required picture.
Unlike that of 'Norma,' the libretto of 'I Puritani,' Bellini's last
opera, is a dull and confused affair. The scene is laid in England,
apparently at the time of the Civil War, but the history and chronology
throughout are of the vaguest description. Queen Henrietta Maria is
imprisoned in the fortress of Plymouth, under the guardianship of Lord
Walton, the Parliamentary leader, whose daughter Elvira loves Lord
Arthur Talbot, a young Cavalier, Elvira's tears and entreaties have so
far softened her stern parent that Arthur is to be admitted into the
castle in order that the nuptials may be celebrated. He takes advantage
of the situation to effect the escape of the Queen, disguising her in
Elvira's bridal veil. When his treachery is discovered Arthur is at once
proscribed, and Elvira, believing him to be faithless, loses her reason.
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