Sonic Dramaturgies in Opera, Music Theatre, and Musical Multimedia
A.Y. 2025/2026
Learning objectives
Undefined
Expected learning outcomes
Undefined
Lesson period: First semester
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course can be attended as a single course.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Responsible
Lesson period
First semester
Course syllabus
Course Title:
Vocal Dramaturgies in the Age of Sound Reproduction
The course will apply the ongoing debate developed over the years within the field of so-called "voice studies" to vocal dramaturgies across various media domains. Particular attention will be given to the effects that processes of mediatization have had on both theoretical reflection and artistic practices concerning the voice and its uses.
Vocal Dramaturgies in the Age of Sound Reproduction
The course will apply the ongoing debate developed over the years within the field of so-called "voice studies" to vocal dramaturgies across various media domains. Particular attention will be given to the effects that processes of mediatization have had on both theoretical reflection and artistic practices concerning the voice and its uses.
Prerequisites for admission
A good knowledge of classical and popular music, and/or other non-Western musical traditions, is an important prerequisite for the course, as is a basic understanding of musical grammar and music theory.
Teaching methods
The lessons will take place on site and will make use of the Teams platform to share materials and teaching resources.
Teaching Resources
Module 1 (Theories)
- R. Murray Schafer, Chapter 6, "The Electric Revolution," in The Soundscape: Our Sonic Environment and the Tuning of the World [1977], new ed. edited by Giovanni Cestino, Milan-Lucca: Ricordi-Unicopli, 2022, pp. 179-197 (on the concept of "schizophonia").
- Jonathan Sterne, Chapter 5, "The Social Genesis of Sound Fidelity," in The Audible Past: Cultural Origins of Sound Reproduction, Durham: Duke University Press, 2003, pp. 215-286.
- Michel Chion, Chapter 9, "In Desperate Search of a Body," in The Voice in Cinema [1982], Parma: Pratiche, 1991, pp. 149-178.
- Mladen Dolar, "Una voce poco fa," in Voice: An Encounter Between Philosophy and Psychoanalysis, edited by Matteo Bonazzi, Carlo Serra, and Silvia Vizzardelli, Milan: Mimesis, 2018, pp. 11-23.
- Silvia Vizzardelli, "The Voice: Ilinx and Mimicry," in Voice: An Encounter Between Philosophy and Psychoanalysis, edited by Matteo Bonazzi, Carlo Serra, and Silvia Vizzardelli, Milan: Mimesis, 2018, pp. 71-91.
Module 2 (Case Studies)
- Antonio Pizzo, "The Dramaturgy of the Scream: Mediated Voice in the Work of Marcel·lí Antúnez Roca," in The Mediated Voice, edited by Stefano Vallauri Lombardi and Marida Rizzuti, Milan: Mimesis, 2019, pp. 13-28.
- Giacomo Albert, "Re-Composing the Audiovisual Image of the Scream: Hyper- and Hypo-definition in the Mediatization of the Voice Between Cinema and Video Art," in The Mediated Voice, edited by Stefano Vallauri Lombardi and Marida Rizzuti, Milan: Mimesis, 2019, pp. 45-68.
- Emilio Sala, "Graphanalysis, Technological Reproduction, and the Acoustical Unconscious: Reflections on an Error in Beckett's Krapp's Last Tape," forthcoming in Opera Quarterly.
- Freya Jarman, "Watch My Lips: The Limits of Camp in Lip-Syncing Scenes," in Music & Camp, edited by Christopher Moore and Philip Purvis, Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press, 2018, pp. 95-117.
- Lucie Alaimo, "Unsung Heroes? A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Lip-Syncing in American and Indian Film," ReSonare, vol. 1, no. 1, 2011, pp. 1-14 (open access online).
- Jelena Novak, "The Curatorial Turn and Opera: On the Singing Deaths of Maria Callas. A Conversation with Marina Abramović and Marko Nikodijević," in Sound Stage Screen, vol. 1, no. 2, pp. 195-209 (available online).
- Michal Grover Friedlander and Jelena Novak, "'Casta Diva' Reimagined: Staging Death in Marina Abramović's 7 Deaths of Maria Callas," in Vincenzo Bellini on Stage and Screen, 1935-2020, edited by Emilio Sala, Graziella Seminara, and Emanuele Senici, New York: Bloomsbury, 2024, pp. 211-226.
- Jessica Tsun Lem Hui, "Reconfiguring Voice in The End: Virtuosity, Technological Affordance and the Reversibility of Hatsune Miku in the Intermundane," in Cambridge Opera Journal, no. 34, 2022, pp. 364-379.
Additional Readings for Non-Attending Students:
- Mladen Dolar, A Voice and Nothing More, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2006 (available through UniMi digital resources).
-The Voice as Something More: Essays Toward Materiality, edited by Martha Feldman and Judith Zeitlin, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2019 (introduction + 5 chapters of your choice).
- R. Murray Schafer, Chapter 6, "The Electric Revolution," in The Soundscape: Our Sonic Environment and the Tuning of the World [1977], new ed. edited by Giovanni Cestino, Milan-Lucca: Ricordi-Unicopli, 2022, pp. 179-197 (on the concept of "schizophonia").
- Jonathan Sterne, Chapter 5, "The Social Genesis of Sound Fidelity," in The Audible Past: Cultural Origins of Sound Reproduction, Durham: Duke University Press, 2003, pp. 215-286.
- Michel Chion, Chapter 9, "In Desperate Search of a Body," in The Voice in Cinema [1982], Parma: Pratiche, 1991, pp. 149-178.
- Mladen Dolar, "Una voce poco fa," in Voice: An Encounter Between Philosophy and Psychoanalysis, edited by Matteo Bonazzi, Carlo Serra, and Silvia Vizzardelli, Milan: Mimesis, 2018, pp. 11-23.
- Silvia Vizzardelli, "The Voice: Ilinx and Mimicry," in Voice: An Encounter Between Philosophy and Psychoanalysis, edited by Matteo Bonazzi, Carlo Serra, and Silvia Vizzardelli, Milan: Mimesis, 2018, pp. 71-91.
Module 2 (Case Studies)
- Antonio Pizzo, "The Dramaturgy of the Scream: Mediated Voice in the Work of Marcel·lí Antúnez Roca," in The Mediated Voice, edited by Stefano Vallauri Lombardi and Marida Rizzuti, Milan: Mimesis, 2019, pp. 13-28.
- Giacomo Albert, "Re-Composing the Audiovisual Image of the Scream: Hyper- and Hypo-definition in the Mediatization of the Voice Between Cinema and Video Art," in The Mediated Voice, edited by Stefano Vallauri Lombardi and Marida Rizzuti, Milan: Mimesis, 2019, pp. 45-68.
- Emilio Sala, "Graphanalysis, Technological Reproduction, and the Acoustical Unconscious: Reflections on an Error in Beckett's Krapp's Last Tape," forthcoming in Opera Quarterly.
- Freya Jarman, "Watch My Lips: The Limits of Camp in Lip-Syncing Scenes," in Music & Camp, edited by Christopher Moore and Philip Purvis, Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press, 2018, pp. 95-117.
- Lucie Alaimo, "Unsung Heroes? A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Lip-Syncing in American and Indian Film," ReSonare, vol. 1, no. 1, 2011, pp. 1-14 (open access online).
- Jelena Novak, "The Curatorial Turn and Opera: On the Singing Deaths of Maria Callas. A Conversation with Marina Abramović and Marko Nikodijević," in Sound Stage Screen, vol. 1, no. 2, pp. 195-209 (available online).
- Michal Grover Friedlander and Jelena Novak, "'Casta Diva' Reimagined: Staging Death in Marina Abramović's 7 Deaths of Maria Callas," in Vincenzo Bellini on Stage and Screen, 1935-2020, edited by Emilio Sala, Graziella Seminara, and Emanuele Senici, New York: Bloomsbury, 2024, pp. 211-226.
- Jessica Tsun Lem Hui, "Reconfiguring Voice in The End: Virtuosity, Technological Affordance and the Reversibility of Hatsune Miku in the Intermundane," in Cambridge Opera Journal, no. 34, 2022, pp. 364-379.
Additional Readings for Non-Attending Students:
- Mladen Dolar, A Voice and Nothing More, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2006 (available through UniMi digital resources).
-The Voice as Something More: Essays Toward Materiality, edited by Martha Feldman and Judith Zeitlin, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2019 (introduction + 5 chapters of your choice).
Assessment methods and Criteria
Students are required to write a final paper (approximately 5,000 words in length) on a topic related to the course's monographic focus. The assessment criteria are as follows:
1. Relevance to the topics discussed throughout the course,
2. Originality of the chosen topic and/or methodology,
3. Analytical competence and depth of personal interpretation,
4. Quality of writing style (terminological accuracy, coherence, proper use of critical references and bibliography).
The paper must be submitted at least seven days prior to the exam date. The oral examination will consist of a discussion of course materials, based on the professor's feedback on the submitted paper.
1. Relevance to the topics discussed throughout the course,
2. Originality of the chosen topic and/or methodology,
3. Analytical competence and depth of personal interpretation,
4. Quality of writing style (terminological accuracy, coherence, proper use of critical references and bibliography).
The paper must be submitted at least seven days prior to the exam date. The oral examination will consist of a discussion of course materials, based on the professor's feedback on the submitted paper.
L-ART/07 - MUSICOLOGY AND HISTORY OF MUSIC - University credits: 6
Lessons: 40 hours
Professor:
Sala Emilio
Professor(s)