When Vincenzo Bellini died in 1835, the sculptor Dantan took a mold of his face in order to preserve the features of the great Italian composer for future generations. The operation was carried out a second time in Catania forty-two years later, when the musician’s corpse was moved from Paris to Sicily. In order to explain Bellini’s musical genius with regards to the structure of the skull and his facial features, both molds were subject to various phrenological studies which highlighted the predominance of the faculties of tune and benevolence. By analyzing contemporary texts, we will frame “the Bellini case” in the historical context of phrenological studies on Italian, and more widely European composers, that aimed to scientifically explain the origins of musical genius.