HISTORY OF MUSIC

Consciousness of the linguistic-symbolic nature of music. Fundamentals (linguistic and structural as well) in the ‘tonal’ period, with references to other musical epochs. Training in listening. Basic music-historical framing of relevant composers. The role of music in audio-visual complex texts.

Guided listening, with the aim of giving to the student consciousness of linguistic and formal characteristics in musical works from different periods and genres, with reference to the coeval history of Art. Fundamentals about theory and analysis of the sound- and musical-organizations in the movies. Guided audio-vision of relevant (also under the artistic point of view) movies, with music hearings. The list of musical works to listen to is included on the handouts of the main course. The list of audio-visual texts (movies) is given in the text field.

Fundamentals

The Issue of Music as Language – Musical Forms

Bibliography

- J.J. Nattiez, Musica e significato, in Enciclopedia della musica - vol. II, Il sapere musicale, Einaudi, pp. 206-238. *

- N. Cook, Forma e sintassi, in Enciclopedia della musica - vol. II, Il sapere musicale, Einaudi, pp. 116-142. *

- P. Petrobelli, Il discorso della musica, dispense in fotocopie. *

- dispense del docente su Il problema della musica come linguaggio – Le forme musicali. *

- listening of musical works mentioned in Petrobelli’s text and in professor’s handouts (the list is at the beginning of the handouts) *.

Propedeutic and Reference Texts:

- the following book is suggested to those who haven’t any musical competence: O. Karolyi, Grammatica della musica, Einaudi.

- as a mere reference book: Enciclopedia della Musica Garzanti (‘Garzantina’ Musica).

Monographic Part

Music and Sound in the Movies

To watch and study the following movies (with a specific attention to the musical and sound elements) is prescribed:

- S. Leone, Once upon a time in America

- S. Kubrick, 2001: A Space Odissey

- P.P. Pasolini, La ricotta from Rogopag

- J.L. Godard, Le mépris, French (original) and Italian versions

- G. Reggio, Koyaanisqatsi

- scenes from da I. Bergman, The Magic Flute by di W.A. Mozart, and W. Allen, Bananas

- S. Kubrick, Barry Lyndon

- A. Tarkovskij, Soljaris

- A. Sokurov, Russian Ark

- G. Lucas, Star Wars (1977)

- F. Fellini, Otto e mezzo

- M. Antonioni, Il deserto rosso

- P. Greenaway, The Draughtman’s Contract

- A. Hitchcock, Vertigo

- J. Landis, The Blues Brothers

- A. Kurosawa, Ran

- D. Aronofsky, Black Swan

- F. Vancini, Bronte, cronaca di un massacro…

- L. Visconti, Morte a Venezia (musiche di G, Mahler)

- W. Herzog, Nosferatu

- K- Kieslowski, La double vie de Véronique

- E. Crialese, Nuovomondo

- R. Clair-E. Satie, Entr’acte (al balletto Rêlache) / F. Léger-G. Auric, Ballet mécanique

- E. Petri, Indagine su un cittadino al di sopra di ogni sospetto

The student shall know all the first 7 movies (in underlined style), plus a choice of other 3 more from the list.

Bibliography

1) S. Miceli, Musica per film, LIM-Ricordi, 2010, pp. 631-699 and 607-629 [It is suggested to read the chapter in this order: 3-4-5-6-2].*

2) M. Chion, L’audiovisione. Suono e immagine nel cinema, Lindau, 2001.

3) A. Mastropietro, Musica per i miei occhi. Analisi e critica di testi audiovisivi selon il sonoro musicale, Maimone [in print; in case the book would not available in time, handouts prepared by the Professor himself, about 80 pp.*]

4) S. Bassetti, La musica nel cinema di Kubrick, Lindau, 2001, pp. 81-98 (2001: Odissea nello spazio) and pp. 115-131 (Barry Lyndon). *

For those who choose Il deserto rosso or Soljaris:

5) U. Fasolato, Dal preludio di Bach alla “musica del paesaggio”: un percorso nell’intreccio audiovisivo di Solaris, in R. Calabretto (edt.), Andrej Tarkovskij e la musica, LIM, 2011, pp. 113-137. *

6) R. Calabretto, Antonioni e la musica, Marsilio, 2012, pp. 30-45 e 137-162. *

7) S. Miceli, Musica e cinema nella cultura del Novecento, Sansoni, 2000, pp. 139-167 *

For those who will not attend to the lessons: R. Calabretto, Lo schermo sonoro, Marsilio, 2011, pp. 11-79;* Paola Valentini, Il suono nel cinema, Venezia 2006, Marsilio, pp. 13-43 e 71-129;* additional handouts. *