Mapping Musical Practices in/for Underground Experimental Film (1960–1979)

The chapter outlines the framework in which Italian experimental cinema emerged and presents a variety of film and music practices between art and independent films in the 1960s and 1970s. The identification of local art scenes and their connections with the Italian and transnational contexts is the starting point for a thorough investigation of the uses of music in these films. The essay studies, among others, the Rome scene of Mario The chapter outlines the framework in which Italian underground experimental cinema emerged and presents a variety of film and musical practices between art and independent films in the 1960–1970s. The identification of local art scenes and their connections with the Italian and transnational contexts is the starting point for a detailed investigation of the uses of music in these films. The essay analyses, among others: the Rome scene of Mario Schifano, Franco Angeli, Franco Brocani, Carmelo Bene, Alberto Grifi, Gianfranco Baruchello and Massimo Bacigalupo; the Florence scene of Superstudio and UFO; and the work of independent filmmakers (e.g., Andrea Granchi, Tonino De Bernardi, and Ugo Nespolo). Contexts such as art galleries (e.g., L’attico by Fabio Sargentini in Rome), night clubs (e.g., the Piper in Rome and Turin), film cooperatives (e.g., the Cooperativa Cinema Indipendente and the Studio di Monte Olimpino) are also considered. A number of musical practices emerged to be placed in the continua between composition and improvisation, original and pre-existing music, film synchronization and live sonorization, and the authorial and collaborative dimension.