History of Music in Film and Audiovisual Media
A.Y. 2020/2021
Learning objectives
The course deals with the use of music in audiovisual media, especially in film, from a historical and theoretical point of view. We will illustrate the historical-cultural contexts, the ideological ramifications and the production practices underlying music and sound in cinema. We will develop basic analytical tools and detail the expressive resources conveyed by music in film. We will then consider the interpretive and critical options made available by "listening to" audiovisual media.
Expected learning outcomes
By the end of the course, students will have developed historical and theoretical awareness about the main periods and currents of music in cinema, from the silent period to the digital turn of contemporary audiovisual media, with special reference to the topic of the monographic course. They will also be enabled to decipher some fundamental dramaturgical aspects of the use of music in audiovisual media. Finally, they will acquire awareness of the theoretical terminology used in film music studies.
Lesson period: First semester
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course cannot be attended as a single course. Please check our list of single courses to find the ones available for enrolment.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Responsible
Lesson period
First semester
The classes will be take place online, mainly in synchronous way, via Microsoft Teams.
Students will find all the useful information on accessing classes (links, etc.), potential adjustments in the programme (bibliography, etc.) in the course's website on the Ariel teaching platform (https://mcorbellasmca.ariel.ctu.unimi.it/v5/home/Default.aspx).
In the event that performing exams in the way described in the Syllabus should turn out to be not manageable, the exams may take place online, with modalities that will be communicated on the Ariel teaching platform at the end of the course.
Students will find all the useful information on accessing classes (links, etc.), potential adjustments in the programme (bibliography, etc.) in the course's website on the Ariel teaching platform (https://mcorbellasmca.ariel.ctu.unimi.it/v5/home/Default.aspx).
In the event that performing exams in the way described in the Syllabus should turn out to be not manageable, the exams may take place online, with modalities that will be communicated on the Ariel teaching platform at the end of the course.
Course syllabus
PART A: Music in film and audiovisual media. Historical and theoretical overview
We will deal with the main turning points of the cultural history of musical practices in film, from the silent era to the present with a focus on Hollywood productions. Through the analysis of exemplary sequences, we will set the theoretical ground for a critical-interpretive understanding of the functions of music in film and audiovisual media.
1. Historical overview: a) From early cinema to the coming of synchronised sound. b) From Classic Hollywood cinema to the crisis of the Studio System. c) From the New Hollywood to contemporary digital cinema.
2. Theoretical overview: a) The functions of music in cinema. b) Elements of Audiovisual Theory.
PART B: Music in Italian cinema
We will deal with the main turning points in the cultural history of music in Italian cinema, from the silent era to the present.
1. For a periodisation of music in Italian cinema: state of the art and open issues
2. Sonic, compositional and production practices
PART C: Compiling practices and the compilation soundtrack in Italian cinema
We will focus on the practice of compilation in Italian film music, shedding light on its characteristic features and specificities.
1. Compiled scores in Italian silent cinema
2. Songs in Italian cinema, from the fascist regime to the post-WWII period
3. '60s-'70s: a) the notion of the compilation soundtrack in international cinema. b) Musical cinema, popular music and the advent of the "spaghetti sound"
4. '80s-'70s: commercial cinema, videoclip and independent scenes
5. Twenty-first century: new auteurism, retromania, intermedia scenarios of the music for audio-visual media.
We will deal with the main turning points of the cultural history of musical practices in film, from the silent era to the present with a focus on Hollywood productions. Through the analysis of exemplary sequences, we will set the theoretical ground for a critical-interpretive understanding of the functions of music in film and audiovisual media.
1. Historical overview: a) From early cinema to the coming of synchronised sound. b) From Classic Hollywood cinema to the crisis of the Studio System. c) From the New Hollywood to contemporary digital cinema.
2. Theoretical overview: a) The functions of music in cinema. b) Elements of Audiovisual Theory.
PART B: Music in Italian cinema
We will deal with the main turning points in the cultural history of music in Italian cinema, from the silent era to the present.
1. For a periodisation of music in Italian cinema: state of the art and open issues
2. Sonic, compositional and production practices
PART C: Compiling practices and the compilation soundtrack in Italian cinema
We will focus on the practice of compilation in Italian film music, shedding light on its characteristic features and specificities.
1. Compiled scores in Italian silent cinema
2. Songs in Italian cinema, from the fascist regime to the post-WWII period
3. '60s-'70s: a) the notion of the compilation soundtrack in international cinema. b) Musical cinema, popular music and the advent of the "spaghetti sound"
4. '80s-'70s: commercial cinema, videoclip and independent scenes
5. Twenty-first century: new auteurism, retromania, intermedia scenarios of the music for audio-visual media.
Prerequisites for admission
The course deals with topics concerning twentieth-century music and film history and theory. It is advisable to have passed other musicological exams as well as the exam of History of Cinema previous to taking this course.
Teaching methods
Class lectures
Group discussions in virtual classroom and in the Ariel forum
Comment of audiovisual sequences
Group discussions in virtual classroom and in the Ariel forum
Comment of audiovisual sequences
Teaching Resources
Given that the course will take place online and that video-recordings of the lectures will be made available, there is no usual distinction between programmes for attending and non-attending students. The following study material is assigned for preparing the 9-cfu exam; in order to prepare the 6-cfu exam, Part C will be skipped.
International or Erasmus incoming students are invited to get in touch with the course instructor as soon as possible to define personalised assignments.
The study materials for students with physical and/or learning disabilities will need to be arranged with the course instructor, according to the guidelines of the competent Helpdesk.
PART A
- Video-recordings of lectures
- Thorough study of the audiovisual sequences discussed during the classes and included in the slides
- Asynchronous teaching materials uploaded to the Ariel platform
Bibliography:
· KATHRYN KALINAK, Musica da film. Una breve introduzione, Torino: Kaplan, 2012. (original edition: Film Music: A Brief Introduction, Oxford University Press, 2010)
· PAOLA VALENTINI, Il suono nel cinema. Storia, teoria e tecniche, Venezia: Marsilio, 2006, pp. 7-131.
PART B
- Video-recordings of lectures
- Thorough study of the audiovisual sequences discussed during the classes and included in the slides
- Asynchronous teaching materials uploaded to the Ariel platform
Bibliography:
· From the special issue "All'ascolto del cinema italiano: musiche, voci, rumori", edited by Roberto Calabretto, Marco Cosci ed Elena Mosconi, «Quaderni del CSCI», 15 (2019):
The following articles:
-- ELENA MOSCONI, Muto ma non silenzioso. I suoni del primo cinema italiani, pp. 11-18
-- PAOLA VALENTINI, Il passaggio al sonoro in Italia tra un inedito paesaggio mediale ed esperienze uditive complesse, pp. 19-23
-- FRANCESCO FINOCCHIARO, Musica e cinema nel ventennio fascista, pp. 24-30
-- ANTONIO FERRARA, La musica cinematografica nel secondo dopoguerra. Neorealismo e dintorni, pp. 31-37
-- ROBERTO CALABRETTO, Nuove musiche per nuovi film, pp. 38-45
-- LUCA BANDIRALI, L'un contro l'altro armato. Compositori italiani per il cinema tra XX e XXI secolo, pp. 46-53
5 articles chosen among the following:
-- RENATA SCOGNAMIGLIO, Compositori sullo schermo. Il biopic musicale in Italia, pp. 54-60
-- EMANUELE SENICI, Il cinema italiano all'ascolto. I film operistici, pp. 61-67
-- MARCO BELLANO, L'insolita canzone. Sulle tracce della musica per l'animazione italiana, pp. 68-74
-- MARCO COSCI, Un mondo di suoni. Il documentario italiano 1931-1965, pp. 75-81
-- ALESSANDRO CECCHI, La sperimentazione musicale nel film industriale italiano dalle origini alla fine del miracolo italiano, pp. 82-87
-- ILARIO MEANDRI e ANDREA BRUNO, Gli artigiani nascosti del cinema. I rumoristi e la produzione di effetti sonori negli anni '60 e '70, 123-129
-- MASSIMO LOCATELLI, Paure. Suoni. Il cinema italiano nell'età dell'ansia, pp. 88-93
-- MAURIZIO CORBELLA, «Lo sfondo ai sentimenti di domani». Note sulla musica elettroacustica nel cinema italiano (1950-1980), pp. 136-141
-- VALERIO SBRAVATTI, Sound design e immersività, pp. 142-148
-- ELENA MOSCONI, La nostalgia e il ritorno del rimosso, pp. 170-176
-- LEO IZZO, Incorporazioni. Il jazz nel cinema italiano, pp. 177-183
-- MATTEO GIUGGIOLI, Lo "specchio" melodrammatico e i suoi riflessi. Persistenza dell'opera nel cinema italiano, pp. 184-190
· From the book "La musica nel cinema e nella televisione", ed. by Roberto Giuliani, Guerini, Milano 2011:
The following chapters:
-- SERGIO MICELI, Nino Rota - Ennio Morricone
-- ROBERTO CALABRETTO, La musica nel cinema di Antonioni e Pasolini
PART C
- Video-recordings of lectures
- Thorough study of the audiovisual sequences discussed during the classes and included in the slides
- Asynchronous teaching materials uploaded to the Ariel platform
Bibliography:
The following essays:
· MARCO TARGA, La prassi della compilazione nel cinema muto italiano, «Musica e storia», XVII/3 (2009), pp. 679-700.
· ELENA MOSCONI, L'altra Pittaluga: le canzoni nelle commedie della Cines, «Immagine», IV serie, 16 (2017), pp. 61-100.
· MARCO COSCI, La musica oltre lo schermo e l'editoria negli anni Cinquanta, «Philomusica on-line», XVIII/1 (2019), pp. 173-198.
· CLAUDIO BISONI, Cinema, sorrisi e canzoni. Il film musicale italiano degli anni Sessanta, Soveria Mannelli, Rubbettino 2020, capp. 3 e 4.
· ALESSANDRO CECCHI, Idiosincrasie generazionali: musica e media nel cinema di Nanni Moretti degli anni Ottanta. «Biblioteca teatrale» Nuova serie, 129-130 (gennaio-giugno 2019), pp. 111-129.
· From the special issue "All'ascolto del cinema italiano: musiche, voci, rumori", edited by Roberto Calabretto, Marco Cosci ed Elena Mosconi, «Quaderni del CSCI», 15 (2019):
2 articles chosen among the following:
-- MARIA FRANCESCA PIREDDA, Note giovani al cinema. Il musicarello, pp. 94-99
-- FRANCESCO VERONA, Song 'e Italy. Il musical italiano degli anni 2000, pp. 100-106
-- MIMMO GIANNERI, Un'idea di popolare. Il cinema italiano e la canzone napoletana, pp. 155-161
-- JACOPO TOMATIS, Cantanti e canzoni fuori e dentro lo schermo, pp. 162-169
· From the special issue "La compilation soundtrack nel cinema sonoro italiano", edited by Maurizio Corbella, «Schermi», IV/7 (2020):
-- MAURIZIO CORBELLA, Introduzione: la compilation soundtrack come ipotesi di lavoro per la storia della musica nel cinema italiano, pp. 7-27
One essay chosen among the following:
-- ELENA BOSCHI, "Overtaking Virtuous Mascolinities: Music, Gender and Sexuality in 'Il sorpasso'", pp. 29-45 [including watching the film "Il sorpasso" by Dino Risi, 1962]
-- MASSIMO LOCATELLI, "Il catalogo musicale pop e il cinema delle emozioni: il caso 'Yuppi Du'", pp. 47-71 [including watching the film "Yuppi Du" by Adriano Celentano, 1975]
-- JACOPO TOMATIS, "«Nostalgia, romanticismo e cafonate teribbbili»: la musica da cinepanettone", pp. 73-93 [including watching the film "Vacanze di Natale" by Carlo Vanzina, 1983]
-- MARIA TERESA SOLDANI, "«Io sto bene, io sto male, io non so cosa fare». Generazione X, alternative rock e film di formazione anni Novanta", pp. 95-113 [including watching the film "Jack Frusciante è uscito dal gruppo" by Enza Negroni, 1996, or "Tutti giù per terra" by Davide Ferrario, 1997]
-- ALESSANDRO BRATUS, "La colonna sonora come mixtape: rap italiano e cinema agli albori degli anni 2000", pp. 115-135 [including watching the film "Zora la vampira" by Manetti Bros., 2000]
-- PAOLA VALENTINI, "Un DJ set d'autore: pratiche compilative nel cinema di Paolo Sorrentino", pp. 137-153 [including watching the film "La grande bellezza" by Paolo Sorrentino, 2013]
-- ALESSANDRO CECCHI, "Canzoni d'attore: musica performance e (nuovi) media nel film 'Lo chiamavano Jeeg Robot'", pp. 155-175 [including watching the film "Lo chiamavano Jeeg Robot" by Gabriele Mainetti, 2015]
International or Erasmus incoming students are invited to get in touch with the course instructor as soon as possible to define personalised assignments.
The study materials for students with physical and/or learning disabilities will need to be arranged with the course instructor, according to the guidelines of the competent Helpdesk.
PART A
- Video-recordings of lectures
- Thorough study of the audiovisual sequences discussed during the classes and included in the slides
- Asynchronous teaching materials uploaded to the Ariel platform
Bibliography:
· KATHRYN KALINAK, Musica da film. Una breve introduzione, Torino: Kaplan, 2012. (original edition: Film Music: A Brief Introduction, Oxford University Press, 2010)
· PAOLA VALENTINI, Il suono nel cinema. Storia, teoria e tecniche, Venezia: Marsilio, 2006, pp. 7-131.
PART B
- Video-recordings of lectures
- Thorough study of the audiovisual sequences discussed during the classes and included in the slides
- Asynchronous teaching materials uploaded to the Ariel platform
Bibliography:
· From the special issue "All'ascolto del cinema italiano: musiche, voci, rumori", edited by Roberto Calabretto, Marco Cosci ed Elena Mosconi, «Quaderni del CSCI», 15 (2019):
The following articles:
-- ELENA MOSCONI, Muto ma non silenzioso. I suoni del primo cinema italiani, pp. 11-18
-- PAOLA VALENTINI, Il passaggio al sonoro in Italia tra un inedito paesaggio mediale ed esperienze uditive complesse, pp. 19-23
-- FRANCESCO FINOCCHIARO, Musica e cinema nel ventennio fascista, pp. 24-30
-- ANTONIO FERRARA, La musica cinematografica nel secondo dopoguerra. Neorealismo e dintorni, pp. 31-37
-- ROBERTO CALABRETTO, Nuove musiche per nuovi film, pp. 38-45
-- LUCA BANDIRALI, L'un contro l'altro armato. Compositori italiani per il cinema tra XX e XXI secolo, pp. 46-53
5 articles chosen among the following:
-- RENATA SCOGNAMIGLIO, Compositori sullo schermo. Il biopic musicale in Italia, pp. 54-60
-- EMANUELE SENICI, Il cinema italiano all'ascolto. I film operistici, pp. 61-67
-- MARCO BELLANO, L'insolita canzone. Sulle tracce della musica per l'animazione italiana, pp. 68-74
-- MARCO COSCI, Un mondo di suoni. Il documentario italiano 1931-1965, pp. 75-81
-- ALESSANDRO CECCHI, La sperimentazione musicale nel film industriale italiano dalle origini alla fine del miracolo italiano, pp. 82-87
-- ILARIO MEANDRI e ANDREA BRUNO, Gli artigiani nascosti del cinema. I rumoristi e la produzione di effetti sonori negli anni '60 e '70, 123-129
-- MASSIMO LOCATELLI, Paure. Suoni. Il cinema italiano nell'età dell'ansia, pp. 88-93
-- MAURIZIO CORBELLA, «Lo sfondo ai sentimenti di domani». Note sulla musica elettroacustica nel cinema italiano (1950-1980), pp. 136-141
-- VALERIO SBRAVATTI, Sound design e immersività, pp. 142-148
-- ELENA MOSCONI, La nostalgia e il ritorno del rimosso, pp. 170-176
-- LEO IZZO, Incorporazioni. Il jazz nel cinema italiano, pp. 177-183
-- MATTEO GIUGGIOLI, Lo "specchio" melodrammatico e i suoi riflessi. Persistenza dell'opera nel cinema italiano, pp. 184-190
· From the book "La musica nel cinema e nella televisione", ed. by Roberto Giuliani, Guerini, Milano 2011:
The following chapters:
-- SERGIO MICELI, Nino Rota - Ennio Morricone
-- ROBERTO CALABRETTO, La musica nel cinema di Antonioni e Pasolini
PART C
- Video-recordings of lectures
- Thorough study of the audiovisual sequences discussed during the classes and included in the slides
- Asynchronous teaching materials uploaded to the Ariel platform
Bibliography:
The following essays:
· MARCO TARGA, La prassi della compilazione nel cinema muto italiano, «Musica e storia», XVII/3 (2009), pp. 679-700.
· ELENA MOSCONI, L'altra Pittaluga: le canzoni nelle commedie della Cines, «Immagine», IV serie, 16 (2017), pp. 61-100.
· MARCO COSCI, La musica oltre lo schermo e l'editoria negli anni Cinquanta, «Philomusica on-line», XVIII/1 (2019), pp. 173-198.
· CLAUDIO BISONI, Cinema, sorrisi e canzoni. Il film musicale italiano degli anni Sessanta, Soveria Mannelli, Rubbettino 2020, capp. 3 e 4.
· ALESSANDRO CECCHI, Idiosincrasie generazionali: musica e media nel cinema di Nanni Moretti degli anni Ottanta. «Biblioteca teatrale» Nuova serie, 129-130 (gennaio-giugno 2019), pp. 111-129.
· From the special issue "All'ascolto del cinema italiano: musiche, voci, rumori", edited by Roberto Calabretto, Marco Cosci ed Elena Mosconi, «Quaderni del CSCI», 15 (2019):
2 articles chosen among the following:
-- MARIA FRANCESCA PIREDDA, Note giovani al cinema. Il musicarello, pp. 94-99
-- FRANCESCO VERONA, Song 'e Italy. Il musical italiano degli anni 2000, pp. 100-106
-- MIMMO GIANNERI, Un'idea di popolare. Il cinema italiano e la canzone napoletana, pp. 155-161
-- JACOPO TOMATIS, Cantanti e canzoni fuori e dentro lo schermo, pp. 162-169
· From the special issue "La compilation soundtrack nel cinema sonoro italiano", edited by Maurizio Corbella, «Schermi», IV/7 (2020):
-- MAURIZIO CORBELLA, Introduzione: la compilation soundtrack come ipotesi di lavoro per la storia della musica nel cinema italiano, pp. 7-27
One essay chosen among the following:
-- ELENA BOSCHI, "Overtaking Virtuous Mascolinities: Music, Gender and Sexuality in 'Il sorpasso'", pp. 29-45 [including watching the film "Il sorpasso" by Dino Risi, 1962]
-- MASSIMO LOCATELLI, "Il catalogo musicale pop e il cinema delle emozioni: il caso 'Yuppi Du'", pp. 47-71 [including watching the film "Yuppi Du" by Adriano Celentano, 1975]
-- JACOPO TOMATIS, "«Nostalgia, romanticismo e cafonate teribbbili»: la musica da cinepanettone", pp. 73-93 [including watching the film "Vacanze di Natale" by Carlo Vanzina, 1983]
-- MARIA TERESA SOLDANI, "«Io sto bene, io sto male, io non so cosa fare». Generazione X, alternative rock e film di formazione anni Novanta", pp. 95-113 [including watching the film "Jack Frusciante è uscito dal gruppo" by Enza Negroni, 1996, or "Tutti giù per terra" by Davide Ferrario, 1997]
-- ALESSANDRO BRATUS, "La colonna sonora come mixtape: rap italiano e cinema agli albori degli anni 2000", pp. 115-135 [including watching the film "Zora la vampira" by Manetti Bros., 2000]
-- PAOLA VALENTINI, "Un DJ set d'autore: pratiche compilative nel cinema di Paolo Sorrentino", pp. 137-153 [including watching the film "La grande bellezza" by Paolo Sorrentino, 2013]
-- ALESSANDRO CECCHI, "Canzoni d'attore: musica performance e (nuovi) media nel film 'Lo chiamavano Jeeg Robot'", pp. 155-175 [including watching the film "Lo chiamavano Jeeg Robot" by Gabriele Mainetti, 2015]
Assessment methods and Criteria
The exam will be oral. Students will be asked to elaborate on topics discussed during the classes and found in the study material of the course. The following aspects will be subject to evaluation: ability to critically engage with subjects; factual knowledge of historical turning points and of the audiovisual contents of the course; ability to draw on and connect different subjects in developing personal interpretations; appropriateness of expression, language and terminology.
The modes of examination for students with physical and/or learning disabilities will need to be agreed with the course instructor, according with the guidelines of the competent Helpdesk.
The modes of examination for students with physical and/or learning disabilities will need to be agreed with the course instructor, according with the guidelines of the competent Helpdesk.
Unita' didattica A
L-ART/07 - MUSICOLOGY AND HISTORY OF MUSIC - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Unita' didattica B
L-ART/07 - MUSICOLOGY AND HISTORY OF MUSIC - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Unita' didattica C
L-ART/07 - MUSICOLOGY AND HISTORY OF MUSIC - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Professor(s)
Reception:
Thursdays, 10:00-13:00, upon appointment. Meetings will either take place in presence or via Microsoft Teams.
Office of the professor, Via Noto 6 (1st floor)