Archival Notes

Rendering Voices Independent: Dramaturgy and Text-Music Relationship in Fausto Razzi’s «Smorfie» and «Sogni»

Claudia di Luzio — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0200

The article examines the refinement of Fausto Razzi’s subtle yet radical approach to music theatre, in which he repeatedly drew inspiration from texts by Italian avant-garde poet Edoardo Sanguineti, comparing «Smorfie» (1997) with the late composer’s revision «Sogni» (2022). Following logics reminiscent of oneiric enigmas in Sanguineti’s text, Razzi concentrates the drama in a flow of sound cores, in which the interacting voices of actors, singers, and instrumentalists have equal weight. He dispenses with the representation of characters and actions on stage while showcasing impressive performative interferences between early and new vocal music and music theatre. In «Sogni», Razzi refines the relationships between word, sound, rhythm, and space, moving from more complex, ambiguous structures to greater autonomy for vocal and instrumental voices, simplifying and distilling the musical material and allowing more interpretive freedom. He emphasizes discrete attitudes of independence of vocal and instrumental voices as concealed characters. The article highlights how the shift from «Smorfie» to «Sogni» reflects a move towards enhanced essentiality, clarity, and dramaturgical coherence that culminates in a meditative conclusion conveying stillness, desolateness, and interpretive openness.

Fausto Romitelli’s “Syntactic Pertinences” of Timbre: Analytical Notes on «Lesson II» of «Professor Bad Trip»

Luigi Manfrin — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0200

This article focuses on Fausto Romitelli’s Professor Bad Trip: Lesson II, examining the interplay between harmonic and inharmonic spectra and how their alternation creates tension and resolution. Utilizing sources from the Fondo Fausto Romitelli at the Fondazione Cini, it also explores his theorisation of spectral morphology, distinguishing between the categorisation and aggregation of sounds. The discussion is contextualized by Romitelli’s analysis in Pertinence du timbre, where dissonance and consonance are contrasted to generate perceptual vectors and tensions.

Additionally, the article investigates figural deformations in Romitelli’s music, where musical objects function as relational systems. These objects, including rhythmic-melodic figures, interact through vectorial oppositions, shaping the composition’s formal structure. Examples from Lesson II illustrate how harmonic modulations derived from spectral syntheses anticipate the harmonic frequency plan of later sections. This analysis underscores Romitelli’s innovative approach to sound and form, situating his work within the broader spectrum of contemporary spectral music.

Nino Rota, Sonata for Viola and Piano (1934-1935): Genesis and Performing Alternatives

Franco Sciannameo — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0200

This article traces the genesis of the Sonata for viola and piano composed by 23-year-old Nino Rota in 1934-35 for the Terza Rassegna Nazionale di Musica Contemporanea which took place in Rome in the spring of 1935. Rota’s work was selected by a jury chaired by Giuseppe Mulè and including Ottorino Respighi, Bernardino Molinari, Alfredo Casella and Vincenzo Tommasini.

The young composer viewed this opportunity with apprehension as his stylistic orientation had begun to veer away from the then fashionable neo-classical movement. So, the gestation of this sonata for viola and piano chronicled in this article bears witness to Rota’s gradual evolutionary process that did not stop at the premiere of the work on 4 April 1935 but continued until the composer’s death in 1979.

The considerable number of sketches pertaining to the 1935 version of the sonata, and the numerous revisions apported to it during the following decades, warranted the present study. In it, the author establishes a chronological order of Rota’s creative process vis-à-vis this work while engaging violists to consider some performing alternatives added to those provided by the currently available Edition Schott published posthumously in 2000.

This article includes a singular audio-video digital document consisting of the original 1934-35 version performed in 1953 by William Primrose, viola and David Stimer, piano.

Searching for Something Other than Sound: Domenico Guaccero and Michiko Hirayama’s «Esercizi per voce sola» (1965; 1971)

Francesca Scigliuzzo — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0200

Esercizi per voce solo was composed by Domenico Guaccero in 1965 following an intense dialogue with singer and performer Michiko Hirayama. In 1971, for some reason, the piece was rewritten. The aim of this article is to reconstruct, through the study of different documentary sources (scores, preparatory materials, recordings, and concert programs), the main features of the collaboration between Guaccero and Hirayama, and to examine the motives and outcomes of the piece's revision. The intention is to emphasise the importance of the singer's role and technical-vocal expertise and to reflect, more generally, on the importance of placing the performer and her performance at the center of musicological discussions. Ultimately, the article aims to open a dialogue with today's singers to explore possible ways of approaching these pages, reflecting on the profound meaning of re-performing music that is so adherent to the performativity of specific performers.

Music in Interaction with Other Arts: Florence in the 1960s and the Experience of Gruppo 70

Paolo Somigli — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0200

The article explores the rich and complex cultural landscape of Florence during the 1960s, focusing particularly on the activities of Gruppo 70. Known for its interdisciplinary nature, Gruppo 70 brought together artists, poets, musicians, and theorists to address avant-garde themes and communication in an industrialized society. The author analyses the aesthetic positions and criticisms of the group’s founding members, with particular focus on the conferences and events that marked the official inception of the movement in 1963.

Notational Aspects of Camillo Togni’s Early Piano Works (1937–1947): The Case of the Sonata op. 9 for Cello and Piano

Aldo Orvieto — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0200

This article explores the notational innovations in Camillo Togni’s early piano works from 1937 to 1947, focusing on the Sonata Op. 9 for cello and piano, recently published by Edizioni Suvini Zerboni. The Sonata, a monumental work praised by Alfredo Casella, exemplifies Togni’s complex polyphony and atonal style, influenced by Bach’s counterpoint and Brahmsian structures. In this context, Togni developed a unique ‘synthetic’ notation to express dense polyphonic writing on two-three stave systems, avoiding traditional four or five staves. This notation uses continuous or semi-continuous beams to connect sequences of notes, functioning both as phrasing slurs and rhythmic articulators.
The article examines two manuscript sources of the Sonata, preserved in the Fondo Camillo Togni of the Fondazione Cini: an autograph score in synthetic notation and a 'fair copy' in traditional notation. The editor's decisions to maintain Togni’s synthetic notation for the piano part and use the 'fair copy' for the cello part ensure fidelity to his innovative approach. The resulting edition challenges performers to engage deeply with Togni’s intricate musical language.