Cataloguing operatic works and film music in the case of Riccardo Zandonai: Methodological perspectives

After the remarkable opera works that brought him wide fame—someone considered him Puccini’s heir—the Italian composer Riccardo Zandonai (‘Francesca da Rimini’ was his most famous opera) experienced a period of silence before turning, in the 1930s, to film music, following the example of his former teacher Mascagni. Although deeply attached to the theatre and to its audience and committed to balance tradition and modernism, he declared an increasing sense of estrangement from the theatrical world, because he felt that “art was disappearing”. He contributed to the production of six films, either independently or in collaboration with major figures such as R. Rossellini (‘Princess Tarakanova’). He was enthusiastic about the wide circulation that cinema offered his music, free from the demanding logistics of concert tours; he could even join the audience in their applause. Beyond the human narrative, however, arises a technical issue: how should documents related to works as different as opera and film soundtracks be catalogued? Distinct approaches are required. According to conceptual models, an opera constitutes an autonomous Work, whereas a soundtrack—despite its musical integrity—is created to serve a filmic Work. It may be fragmented, reordered, or mixed in ways that diverge from the composer’s intentions, and numerous Persons are responsible for the film, with the composer being only one of them. Establishing accurate relationships between the music and the Entities involved in a film’s realization is therefore essential. Without wise cataloguing criteria, a soundtrack risks generating duplications or conflicting entries.