The Piano Trios of Nino Rota and the Art Songs of Franco Alfano on Poetry of Rabindranath Tagore

• Other Authors: Binda, Francesco (authoraut)
• Format: Others
• Language: English; English
• Published: Florida State University
• Subjects: Music
• Online Access: http://purl.flvc.org/fsu/fd/FSU_2017SP_Binda_fsu_0071E_13718

The purpose of the first part of this treatise is to provide information about the Italian composer Nino Rota and a summary of his musical output. In particular, the focus of this study regards his two piano trios. Both works are analyzed and compared to offer a taste of his musical qualities and compositional abilities. Nino Rota is virtually unrecognized in Italy, and almost unknown outside his home country; consequently, his music is underperformed, despite its aesthetically pleasing qualities. The research is based upon material in the English language and my personal translation of other resources in Italian. The hope is that this document will generate interest in considering the music of a talented composer. The first chapter of this section provides a summary of Rota's life and outlines his musical output and general musical characteristics. The second chapter contains the analysis and comparison of the two piano trios. The purpose of the second part of the treatise is to present biographical information about the Italian composer Franco Alfano and a summary of his musical characteristics. Additionally, information regarding the life of the Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore is provided. In particular, this research focuses on Alfano's art songs written on poetry by Tagore. Franco Alfano gained fame as a composer of opera and was recognized in Italy as well as abroad. Beyond that particular genre, he succeeded with several orchestral and instrumental works and art songs. Among the songs, those composed on Tagore's poetry are of particular interest and it is possible to occasionally find them performed on recital programs. The Indian poet was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913 for the publication in English of some of his poems. I am hopeful that this study will provide relevance in examining the compositions of Franco Alfano. Chapter three of this treatise consists of a description of Alfano's life, his compositions, and his musical characteristics. Chapter four informs about Tagore's life and his poetry in English. Chapter five addresses Alfano's songs on Tagore's texts and analyzes a selection of them. The final part consists of a general conclusion and provides a bibliography for those who would like to further explore the life and works of Nino Rota, Franco Alfano, and Rabindranath Tagore. === A Treatise submitted to the College of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Music. === Spring Semester 2017. === February 26, 2017. === Franco Alfano, Nino Rota, Rabindranath Tagore === Includes bibliographical references. === Timothy Hoekman
, Professor Directing Treatise; André Thomas
, University Representative; Iain Quinn
, Committee Member; Valerie Trujillo
, Committee Member.