Papers by Marco Giovanni Barsella
Codice 602, 2021
The original orchestral version of Catalani's Contemplazione was rediscovered in 1982, over 100 y... more The original orchestral version of Catalani's Contemplazione was rediscovered in 1982, over 100 years later, when it was acquired by the Municipality of Lucca for the library of the Boccherini Institute. Although the piece is still performed relatively often today, no one has undertaken a critical edition or reconstructed its history and performance context, including the orchestra’s first international concert at the 1878 Paris Exposition. This article summarizes part of my BA thesis in Conducting, where I aim to fill this gap by situating the piece within the landscape of late 19th-century Italian symphonic music, illustrating how Catalani's training between Lucca and Milan was essential to the development of his orchestral writing.
Conference Presentations by Marco Giovanni Barsella
Contributo allo studio della musica italiana per orchestra di fine Ottocento presso la conferenza... more Contributo allo studio della musica italiana per orchestra di fine Ottocento presso la conferenza internazionale di studenti di musicologia "Musicology in Progress" tenutasi a Cremona nell'aprile del 2023.
This paper focuses on two of Alfredo Catalani's orchestral works, Contemplazione and Scherzo, which Franco Faccio, Italy’s “first orchestral conductor,” deemed significant for contemporary symphonic music. Faccio included these pieces in the debut concert of the Teatro alla Scala Orchestra, which he conducted at the 1878 Paris Exposition—the first international tour by an Italian orchestra. Italy was expected not only to showcase technological advances but also to present competitive orchestral compositions, challenging the established traditions of other nations. Analyzing French newspaper accounts of this concert provides both historical and interpretative insights. French critics’ responses to these compositions highlight the interpretative limits and strengths of the Italian orchestra, tested against symphonic works by Beethoven and Berlioz. Catalani’s compositions exemplify Italian orchestral writing of the period, revealing a Wagnerian influence and Italy’s complex relationship with German music. This research proposes a modern interpretative approach, reflecting the original ensemble and shedding light on Catalani’s orchestral style, later distinctively expanded by Giacomo Puccini.
Theses by Marco Giovanni Barsella
This thesis seeks to develop a practical and intellectually robust approach to performing Beethov... more This thesis seeks to develop a practical and intellectually robust approach to performing Beethoven's Piano Sonata Op. 110, balancing the interpretative challenge of creating an engaging, convincing rendition with the theoretical exploration of musical affectivity. Through artistic research, this study applies the concept of Extended Affectivity—still underexplored in music—to address the roles of composer and performer in shaping expressive outcomes. Rather than offering a general listening guide, it presents findings aimed at broad artistic applications, combining musicology, musical performance, and philosophy of mind and emotions. Beethoven's Op. 110 is ideal for such an investigation, as demonstrated by the work of scholars like Adam Ockelford and Charles Rosen, who recognize its structural uniqueness, especially the unconventional pairing of slow movement and finale. These traits challenge rigid analytical models, encouraging a flexible interpretative framework. This study examines formal and genre aspects, biographical context, and a philosophical-analytical synthesis to address key interpretative questions.
This study aims to investigate the aesthetic reflections of Waldemar Conrad, one of the earliest ... more This study aims to investigate the aesthetic reflections of Waldemar Conrad, one of the earliest scholars to apply Husserl’s emerging phenomenological method to aesthetics in the early 20th century. Addressing aesthetics, especially as an autonomous philosophical discipline focused on beauty and art forms, presents inherent challenges due to its perceived lack of rigor. Applying an underdeveloped, revolutionary method to this field could risk undermining coherence. The first chapter examines the plausibility of such an approach, exploring common themes among phenomenologists, aesthetic scholars, and artists within their historical context. The final section focuses on the theatrical event as an “aesthetic object.” Conrad's views on aesthetics and theater are extensively reviewed in the second chapter, where his key arguments and texts are discussed. Finally, select themes central to understanding Conrad’s work are contextualized, highlighting how Husserl’s phenomenology uniquely positions theater as the quintessential, unstable aesthetic object, bridging two realms of experience.
Contemplazione by Alfredo Catalani and Preludio Sinfonico by Giacomo Puccini exemplify Italian sy... more Contemplazione by Alfredo Catalani and Preludio Sinfonico by Giacomo Puccini exemplify Italian symphonic writing in the late 19th century. This study examines these works within their historical, aesthetic, and formal context, highlighting how Contemplazione reflects a pivotal moment in Italian orchestral music: the 1878 Paris Exposition, where the orchestras of Milan and Turin performed internationally for the first time. The profiles of Catalani and Puccini, two composers who, though distinct, shared influences and training, are traced to understand their early symphonic contributions. Both composers initially engaged with orchestral music early in their careers—Catalani as a recent graduate, Puccini as a student—before turning exclusively to opera. This period of experimentation is essential for understanding their artistic evolution. While both reshaped Italian opera, only Puccini, with the enduring success of his operatic work, went on to leave an indelible mark on music history, becoming a fixture in today’s global repertoire.
Drafts by Marco Giovanni Barsella
Approfondimento in occasione del concerto per le feste di Santa Croce 2021 tenutosi al teatro del... more Approfondimento in occasione del concerto per le feste di Santa Croce 2021 tenutosi al teatro del Giglio di Lucca
Approfondimenti e analisi di proposizioni dall'Ethica di Spinoza a partire dal corso di Storia de... more Approfondimenti e analisi di proposizioni dall'Ethica di Spinoza a partire dal corso di Storia della Filosofia 2019-2020 di Giovanni Paoletti
Uni Notes by Marco Giovanni Barsella
Capitolo VI dalla prima parte della Teologia nel XII secolo di Marie Dominique Chenu, versione it... more Capitolo VI dalla prima parte della Teologia nel XII secolo di Marie Dominique Chenu, versione italiana di Paolo Vian. Il fallimento del progetto di Boezio diventa la base della ricerca della filosofia scolastica
Sottocapitolo del quinto capitolo dalla prima parte della Teologia del XII secolo di Marie Domini... more Sottocapitolo del quinto capitolo dalla prima parte della Teologia del XII secolo di Marie Dominique Chenu, versione italiana di Paolo Vian. L'influenza del Timeo e del platonismo di Boezio nella Scuola di Chartres
Tratto dal IV Capitolo del primo volume de "Il Vocabolario delle Istituzioni Indoeuropee" di Emil... more Tratto dal IV Capitolo del primo volume de "Il Vocabolario delle Istituzioni Indoeuropee" di Emile Benviste.
Raccolta di traduzioni di Lirici da varie edizioni funzionale all'Esame di Lingua e Letteratura G... more Raccolta di traduzioni di Lirici da varie edizioni funzionale all'Esame di Lingua e Letteratura Greca I a.a. 2018/2019.
Testo e commento dei frammenti PMGF 192, 222b, 210, 212, 219.
Compendio sul Dialetto Ionico di Erodoto e di Omero
Omero, Odissea, a cura di V. Di Benedetto, ed. 2010 BUR, ppgg 397-398, nota relativa ai vv 130-136
E. Medda, Eschilo. Agamennone. edizione critica, traduzione e commento, 3 voll., 2017
Nota relativa ai versi 1025-1027 del terzo stasimo dell'Agamennone di Eschilo curato da Enrico Me... more Nota relativa ai versi 1025-1027 del terzo stasimo dell'Agamennone di Eschilo curato da Enrico Medda circa le "due moire" di cui parla il coro
Storia Medievale , 1998
Lezione di Sandro Carocci contenuta nel manuale di storia medievale della casa editrice Donzelli,... more Lezione di Sandro Carocci contenuta nel manuale di storia medievale della casa editrice Donzelli, lezione sui poteri signorili sorti dopo l’anno Mille
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Papers by Marco Giovanni Barsella
Conference Presentations by Marco Giovanni Barsella
This paper focuses on two of Alfredo Catalani's orchestral works, Contemplazione and Scherzo, which Franco Faccio, Italy’s “first orchestral conductor,” deemed significant for contemporary symphonic music. Faccio included these pieces in the debut concert of the Teatro alla Scala Orchestra, which he conducted at the 1878 Paris Exposition—the first international tour by an Italian orchestra. Italy was expected not only to showcase technological advances but also to present competitive orchestral compositions, challenging the established traditions of other nations. Analyzing French newspaper accounts of this concert provides both historical and interpretative insights. French critics’ responses to these compositions highlight the interpretative limits and strengths of the Italian orchestra, tested against symphonic works by Beethoven and Berlioz. Catalani’s compositions exemplify Italian orchestral writing of the period, revealing a Wagnerian influence and Italy’s complex relationship with German music. This research proposes a modern interpretative approach, reflecting the original ensemble and shedding light on Catalani’s orchestral style, later distinctively expanded by Giacomo Puccini.
Theses by Marco Giovanni Barsella
Drafts by Marco Giovanni Barsella
Uni Notes by Marco Giovanni Barsella
This paper focuses on two of Alfredo Catalani's orchestral works, Contemplazione and Scherzo, which Franco Faccio, Italy’s “first orchestral conductor,” deemed significant for contemporary symphonic music. Faccio included these pieces in the debut concert of the Teatro alla Scala Orchestra, which he conducted at the 1878 Paris Exposition—the first international tour by an Italian orchestra. Italy was expected not only to showcase technological advances but also to present competitive orchestral compositions, challenging the established traditions of other nations. Analyzing French newspaper accounts of this concert provides both historical and interpretative insights. French critics’ responses to these compositions highlight the interpretative limits and strengths of the Italian orchestra, tested against symphonic works by Beethoven and Berlioz. Catalani’s compositions exemplify Italian orchestral writing of the period, revealing a Wagnerian influence and Italy’s complex relationship with German music. This research proposes a modern interpretative approach, reflecting the original ensemble and shedding light on Catalani’s orchestral style, later distinctively expanded by Giacomo Puccini.