Fascist Disenchantment and the Music of Goffredo Petrassi
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FASCIST DISENCHANTMENT AND THE MUSIC OF GOFFREDO PETRASSI ALESSIA ANGELA ELDA MACALUSO A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY GRADUATE PROGRAM IN MUSIC YORK UNIVERSITY TORONTO, ONTARIO April 2017 © Alessia Angela Elda Macaluso, 2017 ii ABSTRACT Goffredo Petrassi (1904-2003) was one of many Italian composers who navigated the period of Italian Fascism from the height of its following to its demise. He celebrated the early years of the regime through music, and benefitted from prestigious official appointments. From this, he was able to shape and implement cultural policy, and enforced some of the regime’s coercive laws upon the musical world. After the alliance between Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany in 1939, particularly when Italy entered the Second World War, he used music to express his disillusionment. Petrassi is regarded as one of the most significant composers of his generation, yet few writings in English address the Fascist era itself in terms of music, much less the development of Petrassi’s compositional style within its socio-political framework. This dissertation contends that political events influenced Petrassi’s aesthetic journey, and that his initial support of and eventual opposition to the regime found expression in his works. Petrassi believed that art was always a spiritual autobiography (“autobiografia spirituale”). Hence, the methodology uses primary sources, musical analysis, and comparisons with composers such as Luigi Dallapiccola (1904-1975) to authenticate that Petrassi’s unique sound was a product of musical influences adapted to the shifting politics of Fascism. With a focus on choral music, particularly on Petrassi’s choice of texts, musical selections are contextualized in relation to socio-political circumstances of the years 1930 to 1950. After Fascism, Petrassi’s work captured his search for spiritual revival and artistic reinvention. His response to modernity is examined, as is his effort to compose alongside the avant-garde, which began an artistic struggle within him. Drawing on autobiography, personal writings, interview transcripts, as well as my own interviews, I present a fuller picture of Petrassi than is currently available, as he negotiated iii phases of the political regime in order to survive and maintain some personal integrity. Accordingly, this dissertation validates Petrassi’s music as an expression of his inner and outer worlds, and contributes to the understanding of Petrassi’s creative evolution as he responded to new currents in composition during one of the least studied periods of Italian musical history. iv DEDICATION With great love, I dedicate my work to my grandparents, Elide and Vincenzo Paolone, and to my parents, Dr. Sam and Phyllis Macaluso. My soul is forever bound to yours, and I aspire to live each day in your honour. v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS It is with deepest gratitude that I thank my advisor, Dr. Dorothy de Val for her immeasurable support and dedication to this work. Together, with my committee members, Dr. Austin Clarkson and Dr. Brian Grosskurth, countless hours were given to the development of a thorough and meaningful dissertation, as well as to my own professional growth as an academic. The guidance of my committee has left an indelible imprint, and I have learned that the mind is limitless in its ability to think and to create. To Norma Beecroft, Ennio Morricone, Elide and Vincenzo Paolone: your conversations breathed life into all I had read about Goffredo Petrassi and of life lived under the regime. I was moved by your experiences, your candour, and the generosity of your time. Because of you, my work is elevated and bears an authenticity of which I am so proud and deeply appreciative. Gratitude is also extended to colleagues, especially to Tere Tilban-Rios for her counsel and instruction, and to Dr. Mark Chambers for his gracious leadership as our department’s Graduate Program Director. To friendships, new and perennial, I am thankful for the kindness, patience, and enthusiasm shown to me. The Ph.D is a matchless journey, and distractions of mirth or philosophical discourse were always welcomed. Lastly, but mostly, to my family: Dr. Sam, Phyllis, Sean, Melissa and Katelyn. You are the pillars in my life and my greatest source of love. I can achieve my heart’s most ambitious dreams because I have you. “yours is the light by which my spirit’s born: - you are my sun, my moon, and all my stars.” (E. E. Cummings) vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... ii Dedication ..................................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgments .......................................................................................................................... v Table of Contents .......................................................................................................................... vi List of Figures ............................................................................................................................. viii List of Examples ........................................................................................................................... ix List of Images ................................................................................................................................ x Chapter One: Introduction ............................................................................................................. 1 The Musical Life of Fascist Italy ....................................................................................... 1 Goffredo Petrassi (1904-2003) .......................................................................................... 2 Purpose ............................................................................................................................... 6 Hypothesis .......................................................................................................................... 8 Methodology .................................................................................................................... 10 Theoretical Framework, Paradigms and Influences ......................................................... 13 Outline of Chapters .......................................................................................................... 15 Chapter Two: Literature Review ................................................................................................. 19 Italian Fascism and Music Culture .................................................................................. 19 Goffredo Petrassi ............................................................................................................. 24 Historiography and Theories of Fascism ......................................................................... 33 Italian Fascism and Aesthetics ......................................................................................... 36 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................... 40 Chapter Three: Socio-Political Aspects of Italian Musical Life under Fascism .......................... 42 After the Great War ......................................................................................................... 42 Futurism and Modernism as Political and Artistic Influences ......................................... 48 Music as a Political Platform ........................................................................................... 52 Appropriation of Music: The Case of Ottorino Respighi ................................................ 56 Obsequious Behaviour and the Exchange for Fame: The Case of Ildebrando Pizzetti ... 60 Protest Music: The Case of Luigi Dallapiccola ............................................................... 68 Chapter Four: Neoclassicism and a Fascist Spirit: A Career in Music ........................................ 74 The Pursuit of a Musical Career under Fascism .............................................................. 74 Norma Beecroft ................................................................................................................ 76 Ennio Morricone .............................................................................................................. 80 The Pursuit of a Musical Career under Fascism: 1935 and Forward ............................... 83 Contemporary Influences ................................................................................................. 92 Partita per orchestra (1932) ............................................................................................ 96 Salmo IX (1934-36) ........................................................................................................ 108 Chapter Five: Disillusionment with Fascism and World War II: An Aesthetic Turn ............... 125 Catholicism, Spirituality, and Nihilism ......................................................................... 125 Il Manifesto del razzismo italiano .................................................................................. 128 vii Coro di morti (1940-41) ................................................................................................. 139 Chapter